The Pierce Sisters
by Theresa82
Summary: AU: The Pierce twins Elena and Katherine come back to their home town of Mystic Falls where they died 150 years ago. One wants to live as a human, but the other has more selfish motives. Elena's eye is caught by a boy in school who's older brother is determined to figure out the town's secret. But, a sinister warning quickly puts a damper on Elena's plan. Delena slowburn endgame.
1. New Friend

A/N- So this is an AU idea I got while rewatching and I had to try it out. It's basically what if Elena and Katherine were the two vamps who were turned in 1864 and Stefan and Damon meet them in the modern day, completely unaware of the fact that they are vampires.

Because I wanted to try my best to keep it true to the characters, this does stay Stelena for a long time, but it _is _delena endgame. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>BEGINNING OF BOOK 1:<strong>

**The Pierce Way**

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><p><em>Sometimes, Elena was okay with being a vampire. She had been one for almost 150 years and she had survived quite a lot in that time. But other times, all she wanted was to be human. That's why she came back. Mystic Falls was where she had lived as a human before all of this, and it was where she was going to do it now. She was determined. She was going to make friends. She was going to go to classes. And she was going to be as human as she possibly could.<em>

_At least, that was what she was planning on doing. What actually happened turned out to be a very different story._

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><p>Stefan ran down the stairs and out the front door, grabbing an apple on the way out.<p>

"Have fun in school brother." Damon called from the living room.

"Oh, I will." Stefan replied, knowing just how to respond to his older brother's mocking. He walked down the front steps and jumped into his brother's blue 69' camaro. He knew his brother hated it when he took his car, but it was the only ride he had to school, and he knew Damon could walk to both the mechanic shop, where he worked, and the Mystic Grill without to much of a problem.

Stefan drove to school and parked the car, preparing himself for the first school day of the year. It was his junior year. He only had to make it two more years and then he was free. Getting out of the car he noticed his friends standing around and jogged over to join them.

Matt patted him on the shoulder. "Hey man, how are you doing?"

Stefan smiled, "Great, how about you?"

"I'm good. I got a job at the Grill this summer and Jeremy here," Matt nudged Jeremy in the arm, "got an offer from a publishing company for an internship as a cover artist."

Stefan turned to Jeremy, impressed. "Really? Nice. And you're only a little sophomore."

"Hey! I'm only one year younger then you guys." Jeremy defended himself against Stefan's teasing.

The bell rang, letting the boys know they only had a few more minutes to get to class. They headed inside.

Stefan sat down in his first class next to Matt. Caroline walked in and surveyed the room. She spotted Tyler and sat down behind her long time boyfriend, throwing a quick glance in the direction of Matt. Much to Matt's dismay, this glance wasn't quick enough and Stefan noticed. "What's that about?" he asked his friend.

Matt shrugged his shoulders, trying to play it off. "Nothing."

"That wasn't nothing, she glanced at you while sitting down next to her boyfriend."

"It was just a glance, Stefan, nothing more."

Stefan knew there was something Matt wasn't telling him, but he decided not to push it.

As the majority of the class settled into their seats, a new girl walked in. She had straight coffee colored hair, and was more beautiful than anyone else Stefan had ever seen. He quickly realized he was staring and looked away, but the damage had been done.

"What was that?" Matt asked. "Love at first sight?" Matt wiggled his eyebrows at Stefan.

"That was nothing. Just like the glance from Caroline was nothing." Stefan had to admit, it wasn't his best comeback, but at least it would mean that Matt couldn't make fun of him without leaving himself open to be made fun of as well.

Matt shook his head. "Okay."

The girl scanned the room, and took a seat towards the front. She had a presence about her. Stefan couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about the girl that gave off the vibe that she was in control. She was powerful, and not to be messed with.

Stefan's attention was torn away from the girl as the teacher began to talk.

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><p>Elena had done it. She had made it through her first day of school at Mystic Falls. She had even managed to make a new friend. Caroline Forbes had been sitting next to her in her first class and had stuck to her for the rest of the day like glue. Caroline was kind, if not a bit talkative and somewhat shallow in her interests, but Elena liked her. She was normal and the fact that she did most of the talking for the both of them meant that Elena didn't have to answer to many questions she didn't really have an answer for.<p>

She pulled her car up to the foreclosure that she had found at the edge of town and walked inside, putting her bag down on the kitchen table.

She didn't notice the second vampire standing in the corner, watching her as she pulled out a blood bag from the fridge.

The vampire in the corner smirked and laughed quietly to herself. _This was going to be so much fun._


	2. August 20th 1864

AN - Hey guys, so I know this is really short but I wanted to give you something while I worked on the current day plot. I'm having a lot of fun writing this AU and I hope you are enjoying it, although not much has happened yet. Reviews are always wanted, and just let me know if anyone seems too OOC because I know how that can ruin a fic. As always, I don't own any of the characters from The Vampire Diaries. Hope you enjoy this little teaser!

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><p>August 20th 1864:<p>

"I want to be with you forever." Katherine whispered to Elijah who lay next to her in the bed. "Turn me."

Elijah rolled over to face her and propped his head up. "You don't understand what you are asking for, Katherine. Eternity. It's not something to be taken lightly. It's a curse."

"I don't want to be just a human anymore. Humans are weak. They don't know what power is. But you do." She brushed a stray hair away from his face. "I can see the power you have, the things you know, the things you have seen. That's what I want."

Elijah sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up. "No, Katherine." He looked back at her, imploring her to understand. "It has been torture. The pain I have had to endure. The heartbreak. And my brother would never allow it. He . . . he is selfish. For me to turn you . . He would see that as a betrayal." He finished his speech and turned to pull on his pants and shirt. "I won't do it Katherine. I won't give this curse to anyone, especially you." This was final.


	3. The Bonfire

A/N - Hello again. I think I have figured out where I want this story to head and I have some ideas as to how it is going to get there. Hopefully this chapter will help clarify some things and really start to get the plot rolling. As you will notice, I have taken some ideas/plots from the show and mashed them with this story to put my own twist on them in order to get them to fit into this AU better. There will be some very familiar scenes and some totally new ones.

I have also decided that at least at the beginning I am going to alternate between the present and past every other chapter. That way hopefully you won't have to wait too long between chapters.

Shout out to Anna Lane for reviewing. Enjoy!

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><p>Elena's phone rang and she put it up to her ear. "Hello?"<p>

"Hey Elena, it's Caroline. So I can't believe I didn't mention this today in school, I mean, I must have been so excited to have a new student that I forgot. Oh well, anyway there is this tradition that we do here in Mystic Falls on the first day of the school year. We have this bonfire out next to the woods and _everybody_ comes. I want you to come. Will you?"

"Will I . . . Come?" Elena repeated, trying to make sure she was answering the right question. Caroline was hard to keep up with sometimes, even with Elena's vampire speed.

"Yeah. Will you come? I mean, there are still a lot of people I have to introduce you too, and . ." She hesitated.

"And what?" Elena asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell you this, but it's pretty obvious anyway, so I'm just gonna spill. Stefan Salvatore has his eye one you."

Elena thought back through her day at school, trying to remember who Stefan Salvatore was. "Oh . . kay" Elena replied drawing the word out.

"No Elena, you don't understand Stefan is like, gorgeous. I tried to get him to go out with me a while ago, but it didn't really work out. Anyway, he is like, the boy in school everyone wants, while he mostly keeps to himself. You know, quiet type, dark and mysterious." Elena could practically hear Caroline wiggling her eyebrows at her through the phone. "No one is really even friends with him except for Matt and the Sophomore Jeremy. And, maybe his older brother. I don't know much about Damon except that he works at a mechanic and also looks like a dream."

"Damon?"

"Yeah, Stefan's older brother. Didn't I say that?"

Elena smiled. "Maybe you did. And my answer is yes."

"Yes . . ."

"Yes, I will come to the bonfire tonight."

Elena could hear Caroline's sigh of relief. "Okay, good. And then I can introduce you to Stefan."

"Sounds like a plan." Elena hung up the phone. She hoped she hadn't just made a huge mistake. Going to a party like that, left a lot of things open to go wrong, because as much as she hated it, she wasn't human. Being a vampire meant danger, both for her and for those around her. But Elena wasn't going to let her fear control her and she was here to be an ordinary human and do ordinary human things, like go to a bonfire party.

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><p>The flames licked higher and higher, reaching for the night sky. Stefan had been hanging with Matt and Jeremy for a while, until Jeremy had gone to hang out with his sort-of-girlfriend Vicki and Matt had gone to get something to drink. Stefan didn't mind though, he enjoyed the peace he got from watching the flames. However, this time didn't last long as Caroline made her way pointedly toward him. He watched her curiously. Caroline was kind and caring, but she was also somewhat neurotic and a bit of a control freak. But Stefan didn't really mind that. He had a feeling that there was more to this girl then school floats and blond hair.<p>

Finally, she reached him. "Hi Stefan. I want to introduce you to someone." She turned to the girl she had been dragging behind her. "Elena, this is Stefan Salvatore. Stefan, this is Elena Pierce. She's new to the school. Why don't you show her around." Before either Stefan or Elena could point out the fact that they weren't at school, Caroline had disappeared into the crowd.

Elena smiled at Stefan. "Hi. I'm Elena, but I guess you already know that since Caroline just said that."

Stefan smiled back. "Yeah, Caroline can be a little, pushy sometimes, but . ."

Elena nodding, knowing what he meant.

"So what brings you to Mystic Falls?" Stefan asked. He was curious why a girl like Elena would ever want to move to his quiet town.

Elena seemed to tense up slightly, but Stefan noticed. "Well, my ancestors were from here and I wanted to come back to my roots, you know? Like, get to know my heritage."

"So wait. Are you like a Pierce, like the founding families Pierce?"

Elena nodded

"But I had thought that they all died out in the 19th century."

Elena shook her head. "No, they just moved away. The Battle of Willow Creek had been somewhat of a traumatic experience for the Pierce girls, so they moved away."

There was a scream from the forest and a commotion from the same direction a few seconds later. Stefan and Elena ran over. Stefan spotted Matt on the other side of the bonfire doing the same. When they reached the forest, Stefan saw Vicki coming out of the woods. She was frantic, pointing behind her.

Matt reached her first. "Vic, what's wrong? What is it?"

She grabbed her brother. "Jeremy. He . . he's on the ground. A lot of blood. I don't know what happened. I left to get a drink but before I could even reach the bonfire, I heard a noise. And now he's hurt. Oh, Matt what have I done. I should have been there."

Stefan ran towards the woods. He came across Jeremy who, sure enough, was laying on the ground, bleeding from the neck. Stefan thought that was a strange place for a wild animal to have gotten Jeremy, but shook it off. He picked his friend up and carried him back toward the bonfire.

Someone had called 911 and he could hear the sirens in the distance. Elena ran up to him and Jeremy but froze when she saw the wound on his neck.

"Can you help me get him over to the road?" He asked her.

Elena took a step back, looking sick. "No, I'm sorry. I get . . . sick around blood." She turned away from him, as if to hide her face. After a few seconds, she looked back at Stefan. "It was nice meeting you, but I have to go." She turned around and ran away.

Matt came over and gave Stefan a hand with getting Jeremy to the road, where an ambulance had arrived.

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><p>Had she been naive to hope, even for a day, that she could be normal? Elena paced back and forth in the living room of the foreclosure. She thought she had been careful. She thought no one had followed her. But obviously she had thought wrong. What had happened at the bonfire was proof of that. There was another vampire in town. And although the last thing she wanted was for anyone to be put in danger because of her or to find out what she really was, she had no choice but to stay in town. She couldn't leave them knowing there was someone else out there. She needed to figure out who it was, and she needed to stop them.<p> 


	4. August 21st 1864

A/N - So from here on out I am going to be attempting to post a chapter a day. (Although with school starting I don't know how well I will be able to keep up with that) There will be a flashback every other chapter and the flashbacks will tend to be shorter.

Let me know if you have any constructive criticism, if any of the characters seem to OOC or if you have any questions or ideas. Reviews are always welcome.

Shout out to Valentina for reviewing. Here you go. :)

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><p>August 21st 1864:<p>

"Elena, there are dangers in this town. Demons that you don't know of. I need you to understand that." Elena nodded as her father talked. He was a Pierce and part of the secret counsel. He talked in code, but she understood the true meaning behind his words anyway. Living in Mystic falls in 1864 meant that she knew about all the creatures that went bump in the night. Her father had tried to protect her from them, keeping the true reason for the many late night council meetings a secret, but she had her own secrets.

She had learned long ago about vampires. It wasn't hard to figure out with all the attacks, victims with puncture marks in their necks, and the blood drained from their bodies. But she also knew many of them. Anna, for example was a vampire, and had been Elena's friend for quite a while. Not to mention the fact that Elena's own twin just happened to be dating one. She knew that if their father found out, he would try to kill Elijah, and maybe even Katherine for being a sympathizer, but Elena liked Elijah. He was moral, and really loved Katherine, so Elena wasn't planning on giving him up to her father any time soon.

Elena's father finished up his speech to Elena about how she wasn't supposed to go outside at night, and he headed out to another one of his council meetings. Elena sighed and sat down at the window to write in her journal.

The front door opened and Katherine walked in. "Is father here?" Elena shook her head. "Good. Okay Elena I need your help."

Elena sat up, intrigued. Katherine didn't often ask for help, and when she did, Elena was pretty sure she would normally ask Elijah, not her. "With what?"

"Killing Klaus."

Elena's eyes went wide, trying to process what her twin had just said. Then she started thinking it through. If they succeeded, they would rid the world of Niklaus, the most ruthless original. He was strong, and he had no regard for human life. He only brought pain to those he interacted with and Elena knew that the world would probably be a much safer place without him in it. She was all for the idea, but couldn't understand what would lead _Katherine_ to want him dead. "Why do you want to kill Klaus?"

Katherine shrugged her shoulders. "He is in the way. He would never allow my relationship with Elijah to continue if he found out about it and I don't like him controlling Elijah the way he does." Of course, Katherine left out the part about wanting Elijah to turn her and how that was never going to happen with Klaus in the way, but Elena didn't need to know that just yet.

Elena thought about then nodded. "Okay. I'm in."


	5. The Sheriff

A/N - Hello everyone. I am really excited to show you guys where this story is headed and I have a whole bunch of ideas. If you haven't realized by now, I have ended up writing this story in a sort of TV show type format, with a lot of smaller scenes, subplots, and flashbacks. I do have at least the next few chapters planed out, but seeing as I just started school today, I don't know how often I am going to keep updating. I will do my best to update at least every day or two, but it may end up going even longer.

Reviews are always wanted and if you have any ideas or suggestions just let me know! Special thanks to Guest and DarkBrunette for reviewing. Enjoy this next chapter!

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><p>Liz Forbes had never seen a real vampire attack for herself before. But she had heard enough about them to know that this was one of them. The official story was an animal attack, but Liz and the Council knew better. They had been formed way back in the eighteen hundreds for this very reason. No one really thought vampires would return to Mystic Falls. Not in modern times, but this attack meant that they had.<p>

Liz stood up and patted Jeremy on the arm. "I hope you start to feel better soon."

The bites on his neck kept him from moving too much, but he tried to smile. "Thanks."

She nodded and walked out of the hospital room. As she headed toward the exit, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and speed dialed number 5. The phone rang as she held it up to her ear.

"Sheriff. What is the situation?" said the voice on the other end of the line.

"Mayor Lockwood, I'm afraid we have a problem. It was definitely," she lowered her voice, "a vampire attack."

The mayor took a deep breath. "Are you absolutely sure? There is no chance of it being an animal? Like the boy said? We need to make sure we are not jumping to conclusions."

Liz nodded her head, forgetting he couldn't see her. "Yes, I'm sure. He was drained of blood and the puncture marks on his neck were too precise to be from a wild animal."

There was another pause on the other end while Liz walked outside and headed toward her car. "Okay then. I will call a council meeting. You and I will give them the rundown on what happened and then we will figure out where to go from there."

"Okay. See you then."

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><p>The door swung shut behind Stefan as he headed out to the second day of school.<p>

"Alone at last." Damon said to himself. He paced over to the table where the alcohol was sitting and poured himself a drink, staring at the room around him. He had never quite understood why he had never sold the large old house. It had been in the family for generations, and it used to be a boarding house. His father had kept if for sentimental reasons but, although it was now legally Damon's house, he had never even considered selling it.

It was Damon's day off from work, so he headed over to the Grill, sitting down at one of the empty seats at the bar.

The bartender poured him a drink as the sheriff sat down in the seat next to him.

"So what's the deal with that attack on the Gilbert kid?" the bartender asked her. "Was it really just a wild animal?"

"It seems that way." she confirmed.

Damon couldn't help but jump into the conversation. "I read in the newspaper that he was drained of blood. What kind of animal would do that?" He had just been curious, but he saw something flash behind the sheriff's eyes, as if she was wondering if Damon knew something.

"I don't really know." She studied him closer. "You're one of the Salvatore brothers, right?"

Damon nodded. "That would be me. Damon Salvatore at your service." He held out his hand and she shook it.

"Sheriff Forbes. You know, I knew your father pretty well." The sheriff seemed to hesitate slightly, like she was trying to make a decision. "You wouldn't happen to know where he kept his store of vervain, would you?"

"Vervain?" He felt like he had heard the word before, but he didn't know where, or what it meant.

"Oh, it's just a plant. About this tall," She held up her hands about six inches from each other, "and it has little purple bulbs at the ends. He would grow it and then sell it to us," she waited a second then added, "you know, for decoration. I was hoping you would know where it was, so I could buy some more."

Damon nodded. "Oh. Well, I haven't seen any around, but if I spot it, I will let you know."

The sheriff looked relieved. "Okay. Thank you Damon. Now, I guess I should get going. Don't want to miss any important meeting." Damon laughed as she stood up and payed the tip. Damon's eyes followed her out of the Grill. If he hadn't thought something fishy was up that morning when he read about an animal attack with the victim drained of blood, he definitely was sure about it now. The sheriff was covering something up, and now, Damon was determined to figure out exactly what it was.

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><p>The mayor checked outside of the doors of the room one last time before shutting and locking them. He turned to the Sheriff. "Would you please explain our situation?"<p>

She nodded before turning to the small group of people sitting in front of her. She explained how there had been an attack and how she had gone to interview Jeremy. She told the council how the marks on his neck had to have been made by a vampire and how everything they had been told about vampires, was true. She told them how vampires had returned to Mystic Falls. "So now the question is, what do we do about it? I have already spoken to Damon Salvatore about getting vervain for our safety and the safety of those around us, but that won't be enough to protect the whole town."

"If I may, Sheriff, I think I know of a few things that could help us." It was John Gilbert talking. The council turned in their seats to look at him.

Liz was slightly taken aback. "And what would those things be?"

"Well, as you may know, I have read many of my ancestor Jonathan Gilbert's journals and he writes of a device, that looks like a pocket watch, but is actually a compass that points to the nearest vampire."

"Well, if we could get such a device, that would be a huge help to us. Do you know who has it now?"

"I believe that it was my brother's when he was younger, so I would guess that it is somewhere in the Gilbert's household. I mean, where my nephew lives. Should I try and retrieve it for you?"

"Yes, I think you should. But John," The sheriff waited till he acknowledged her again, to make sure she had his full attention. "Be careful. I don't want Jeremy, or anybody else for that matter, getting dragged into all this. Is that clear?"

John nodded his head. "Yes sheriff."


	6. August 24th 1864 (1)

A/N- Short one this time. As always, reviews are always wanted. Enjoy!

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><p>August 24th 1864:<p>

Their plan had gone perfectly so far. Klaus had come to save his brother as soon as he got the fake letter the twins had sent him, threatening Elijah's life. They had him trapped in the living room, both exits blocked by the identical girls, holding stakes.

Realizing what was happening Klaus started to laugh. "Do you two humans actually think that you can kill me?"

Katherine, who was standing in front of him smirked. "Well, it won't hurt to try." And she rushed at him, stake aimed at his heart. He easily deflected it and grabbed her by the throat. He turned to face Elena, probably to make some quick remark about how silly their whole plan was, but Elena was already at his side. She thrust the stake into his heart and his grip on Katherine loosened as he looked down at the piece of wood protruding from his chest.

Katherine fell to the floor at the same time as Klaus, still with the stake in his chest. He started to turn gray, the veins under his skin becoming defined as his whole body became stiff.


	7. Journals

A/N - So this chapter is a little longer to make up for that last one. Things are finally really starting to pick up.

Shout out to Cavalialover for reviewing. Reviews are amazing.

Also, I'm just curious, as a major shipper myself, who you guys ship, in TVD or really anything. Who are your OTPs, BROPTs, and anti-ships? Do you have any multifandom ships? Let me know!

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><p>The morning was young, and the sun wasn't quite yet peaking over the tips of the trees. Elena was about to head out the door to get some hunting done before school when she heard a noise. She wouldn't have heard it if it weren't for her super hearing, but there was a creak in one of the upstairs rooms. Someone was in the house.<p>

"Whoever you are, know that I am armed and dangerous." Elena yelled, letting her voice flow through the house. "Show yourself."

"Was that supposed to be a threat?" Elena spun around to face the speaker and was meet with a face identical to hers.

"Katherine." Elena hadn't seen her twin in years, and she had been hoping that her sister would let it stay that way, especially while she was in Mystic Falls. But obviously she had had no such luck.

"Hello _Elena_," Katherine tilted her head. "Enjoying your new human life?"

Elena glared at her twin.

Katherine let out an amused sigh. "Well, I hope you at least liked my little gift to you yesterday."

Elena was standing in a defensive position. "So it _was_ you that attacked that Jeremy kid last night. Why?"

Katherine shrugged. "Boredom. Hunger. The works." Katherine walked over to the mantel over the fireplace and ran her finger along the edge, before bringing it up to her eyes, as if checking for dust. "And I also enjoy watching you squirm." Katherine looked back up at her sister. "It's quite funny to watch you struggle to keep a lid on your true nature."

"Why are you here Katherine? What are you doing in Mystic Falls?"

Katherine feigned hurt. "I missed my sister. Do I have to have another reason?"

"Look. I don't have time to play games with you right now. I'm going to be late for school. So either leave, or -" Elena never got a chance to finish her sentence. Her twin sister was already gone.

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><p>Stefan shut his looked around. He spotted Elena Pierce with Caroline and finally worked up the courage to approach her.<p>

"-know what it is, but for some reason, she has been pretty secretive lately." Caroline was saying.

"Well, maybe she is just working through some things?" Elena suggested. "I think you should keep giving her her space, at least for now."

"Hello Elena." The brunette's attention snapped to Stefan.

"Hi." Elena said with a smile.

Stefan smiled back. "We were interrupted when we were talking the other day at the bonfire and I was hoping I could make it up to you. Are you free to come over to my place for dinner tonight? I _am_ a rather good cook."

Elena nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like fun."

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><p>Jeremy threw his backpack down on the couch before flopping down next to it.<p>

"Hey. Don't hurt the couch." Jeremy's aunt Jenna scolded from the kitchen. Jeremy rolled his eyes.

"Hi Jeremy." This time it was a different voice. A voice Jeremy hadn't heard in a long time. Jeremy turned in his seat to see the person who was approaching him from behind.

"Uncle John? What are you doing here? My parents are researching something abroad. They won't be back for who knows how long."

John shrugged. "I was in town and decided to pay my nephew a visit." Jeremy squinted at his Uncle. He knew better than to believe a lie as thin as that. "Okay, I'll admit. I'm looking for something. It's a pocket watch from the 1860's. I was hoping that maybe you knew where it was."

"Oh, you mean Johnathan Gilbert's watch? Why do you want that?"

"Nothing important really, I just want to borrow it. Do you know where it is?"

Jeremy sat up. "Yeah. My dad gave it to me right before he left. I can go get it for you if you want."

"Could you?"

"Sure." Jeremy got up and headed up to his room, returning shortly with the watch in his hand. "Here you go. Just make sure you bring it back."

"Of course."

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><p>Elena pulled her car up to the old boarding house. She rechecked the address to make sure she was in the right place. The house was huge and looming, sitting in isolation away from the rest of civilization. She got out of her car and walked up to the door, knocking twice.<p>

There was a moment of silence before she heard movement inside. The door swung open. Elena had never seen the man before. He was about average height and somewhat messy black hair.

"Um . . . I'm here to see Stefan?" Elena said, wondering again if she was at the right house.

"He's right upstairs. Come on in." The man stepped back, pulling the door open even farther, giving her room to step past.

Elena let out a small sigh of relief when she stepped over the threshold. She had been invited in. She continued into the living room, trying to take in all of the large house around her. The man watched he curiously, as if he had never seen someone come to visit Stefan before. It least, not someone female.

Elena couldn't help but wonder who exactly the man was. "So are you his . ."

"Brother." The man finished her sentence for her. He smiled. "I'm Damon."

"I'm Elena. It's nice to meet you."

Stefan's footsteps echoed as he came down the stairs. He was wearing a purple dress shirt and Elena immediately regretted the decision to wear the same clothes she had worn that day to school. "Hi Elena."

"Well, I'm going to take that as my cue." Damon said. He turned and nodded at her. "See you later Elena." Then he headed out the front door, leaving Stefan and Elena alone in the house.

Stefan noticed Elena admiring the house. "Do you want to see more? I can show you around the house."

"Oh yeah, I would love that." So Stefan lead her to the study and library, both of which were bigger than most she had seen before. Then he showed her up the stairs to a row of bedrooms and a gigantic bathroom at the end of the hallway.

"This one is my room." He said, pointing to one of the rooms on her left. She looked at him, as if asking for permission and he nodded. Stefan's room was fairly large, like the rest of the rooms of the house, but somehow it seemed more personal. Elena ran her hand along the side of his bed, looking around at the large amount of books he had on his shelves. She looked down at his nightstand and noticed what looked like a book sitting there, with a pencil laying next to it. If she didn't keep one herself, she may not have recognized it for what it was. She picked it up and showed it to Stefan.

"_You_ keep a journal?"

Stefan blushed and looked down at the floor. "Yeah. I mean, I like to be able to remember things. And I've found that journaling has helped me with that."

"Really?" He nodded. "I keep one too."

He walked up to her. "You keep a journal?"

Elena looked back down at the book in her hands. "Yeah, I keep a journal. I've journaled for all my life." She turned to him, looking up into his eyes. "It helps keep me grounded."

"Do you generally find you have a problem with staying on the ground?"

She smiled. "Not in a long time."

He reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Has anyone ever told you that you are beautiful?" he whispered.

"Not in a long time." The distance between them lessened until they were inches apart. Then centimeters. Elena wanted this. She wanted a normal life and that was what this was. Normal. But as she felt the pull of her hunger and heard the rush of his blood in her ears, she was forced to pull back. She couldn't hurt him. No matter the consequences.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Elena shrugged as she stepped around him, toward the door. "Nothing, I just, can't. Right now." She turned to face him. "Okay?"

He looked a little hurt, but nodded all the same. "Okay."


	8. August 24th 1864 (2)

A/N - Hello again. Here with another chapter. Thank you to Parodychick for reviewing.

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><p>August 24th 1864:<p>

Katherine walked right into the formerly abandoned cottage where Elijah had been staying during his stay in Mystic Falls. "Turn me."

Elijah looked up from whatever he had been reading. "Katherine. I didn't know you would be coming over so soon." He stood up and looked around at the moderately organized space. "I would have-"

"I want you to make me a vampire, Elijah." Katherine interrupted, not caring about the state of the room. "No more stalling or excuses. Your brother is dead, and I want this."

Elijah furrowed his brows at her. "What do you mean, my brother is dead?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. "We staked him. We saw him wither and-"

"What stake did you use?"

Katherine was taken back. Elijah had never interrupted her before. He was always the caring, selfless one of the family. "A normal stake. What do you mean what stake?"

Elijah flashed to her. "Katherine you need to leave. Right now. You and whomever else was stupid enough to go after Klaus." Elijah peaked out the windows and doors, seemingly checking for something or someone.

"What do you mean? He's dead. . . isn't he?" Elijah turned back to Katherine and gave her a look that gave her his answer. He wasn't dead. Of course it wouldn't have been that easy. He was an original, and now he would be out for blood. Hers and Elena's. "Oh." Elijah turned to look out the window again and in that second Katherine made a decision. She grabbed a stake sitting on the desk and stabbed herself as close as she could to the heart.

She gagged as she dropped to the floor and Elijah caught her. "Katherine, no. What did you do?" He held her as the life drained out of her. Finally he made the decision that Katherine had known he would make. He wouldn't sit by and watch her die when he could do something about it. Knowing it was what she was counting on him doing, he bit into his own wrist and put it over her mouth, letting her drink the blood of a vampire.


	9. Secrets

A/N - So this is the longest chapter yet. This fic is so much fun to write and I have quite a few things planed. I think this might be my personal favorite chapter so far. Review to let me know what you think!

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><p>"Caroline?" Bonnie said from her doorway. "What are you doing here?"<p>

"Well, I've noticed you seemed a little distracted lately and I wanted to see if I could cheer you up." She smiled and held up the basket she was holding. "I brought cookies."

Bonnie smiled, but Caroline could tell she was just doing it out of courtesy. "Come on in."

Caroline walked into the house, plopping down on the sofa in the living room. She pulled out two cookies and handed her friend one. Bonnie took it and took a bite, nodding to tell Caroline that it was good.

"Okay look." Caroline said, not being a fan of silences. "What is going on with you? You need to tell me. I'm your friend."

Bonnie shook her head. "I can't Caroline. I'm sorry, it's just, I'm trying to work some family stuff out. You know? I can't really say anything else."

Caroline's shoulders drooped. "Okay fine. But at least let me cheer you up with cookies and a movie."

This time Bonnie's smile was real. "Sounds like fun."

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><p>It had been too long since Damon had gotten a good long break. Ever since his encounter with the Sheriff, he had not gotten a moment's peace, between working at the mechanics shop and making himself scarce when his brother brought Elena over.<p>

However, he had managed to find some of the plant that the sheriff had been telling him about, vervain, and he was planning on using that to his advantage. He grabbed a handful and headed out to the Grill, ready to figure out what was up in his town.

He immediately spotted the Sheriff, sitting at a table all by herself, waiting to someone to call her with an emergency. He headed over and sat down across from her.

"Damon?"

"Hi Sheriff. So I looked around for that plant you were telling me about and I found some."

The sheriff looked interested. "Awesome. Can I buy some from you?"

"Not until you tell me exactly what you know." This was it. He was either going to find out this town's secret or she wasn't going to get any vervain.

She shook her head. "What do you mean. What I know about what?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Look. We both know that you know a lot more about that attack on the Gilbert kid then you are letting on and I'm willing to bet that you need vervain a lot more than you let on. Either tell me exactly what is happening, or you won't get any vervain."

She crossed her arms. "Are you trying to blackmail me?" she asked.

Damon pulled back. "No. I just want to know what you know."

She thought about his offer before looking back at him. "I'm sorry Damon. I can't tell you anything. And trust me, you don't really want to know anyway. Now, if you'll excuse me," she said checking her watch, "I have somewhere I have to be." She stood up. Damon narrowed his eyes, watching her leave.

He had thought she would cave. But he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

The moment she was out the door he stood up and followed her out, jumping in his car and pulling out behind her police vehicle. He stayed back far enough, with enough people between them, that she didn't seem to notice that he was tailing her.

She pulled up to the Lockwood's manson and Damon continued to the next street, pulling over and parking far enough away so that no one would see his car from the house. He got out and looked around before running across the lawn and standing outside the window, which happened to be open.

"Mayor Lockwood, I think we may have a problem." he heard her saying.

"What's wrong?" said another voice. The mayor Damon assumed. So whatever they were hiding, the mayor was in on it as well.

"Damon Salvatore is refusing to give us any vervain." the sheriff again. "He wanted to trade it for information about what we were doing. He is asking too many questions, getting to close."

The mayor took a deep breath. "Do you think he knows about vampires?" Vampires? Damon was caught off guard by such a strange concept, but it made sense. Vampires would explain the strange attack on the Gilbert boy where he was almost drained of all his blood.

The sheriff must have shook her head because the mayor was the one who talked next. "Well, we need that vervain. You are going to have to convince him to hand it over, or we will all be susceptible to compulsion and be easy prey. We need to keep ourselves and those we care about safe."

"Trust me, mayor, I know. I worry about Caroline all the time." She took a deep breath. "I will try again, but it won't be easy. Damon doesn't seem the type to take no for an answer."

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><p>Stefan was sitting in his room writing in his journal while the last rays of sunlight disappeared from the evening sky. The doorbell rang. His brother had left for the Grill a little while earlier, so there was no one else home to get the door. He got up and set his journal facing down to keep the page he was at.<p>

When he pulled the door open he broke into a wide smile. "Elena."

"Hi Stefan. I'm sorry for dropping by without warning like this, I just," she shrugged, "missed you."

He laughed. "It's fine. I wasn't really doing anything anyway. Just writing in my journal. Come on in."

Her face lit up and she stepped through into the living room. She turned back to face him as he walked toward her. "So what, exactly were you writing in that journal of yours?"

"Oh, I don't know. It couldn't have been about a certain beautiful girl I know."

"You were writing about me?" She asked, surprised. He nodded. "So, what did you write about me?"

"Just how annoying and needy you are."

"Hey!" She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "That's not very nice." They were both smiling and laughing. Finally their laughter died down and Stefan couldn't help but stare. She really was beautiful.

"What are you staring at?" Elena asked, a little shy.

"You." He said, not giving any more of an explanation. She stepped closer and put her hands on his chest. He brushed her hair behind her ear, even though none had fallen out. He lost himself in her warm brown eyes, leaning in even closer to her. He held her face in his hand but hesitated, remembering the last time they had almost kissed. "Is this okay?" he asked, not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

She nodded and whispered, "Yes." And then she reached up and kissed him. It was soft and gentle. For the first time Stefan wholeheartedly knew something about himself. He was in love with Elena Pierce. He kissed her back and knew it was right. He reached around her, pulling her closer to himself, kissing her with the whole of his being. He didn't know how long they kissed. It felt like forever and the space between a second at the same time, but he knew he didn't want it to end.

Eventually they pulled apart. "That was . . ." Elena started to say.

"Amazing." Stefan finished for her.

_Buzz. Buzz._

They both groaned and Stefan pulled his phone out of his pocket, pressing the answer button. Elena stepped back and sat down on the couch.

Stefan put the phone up to his ear. "Hello?" he said.

"Stefan, brother. I need you to do something for me." said the voice at the other end of the line.

Stefan sighed. "What do you need Damon?"

"There is this plant called vervain in the basement. It has little tiny purple flowers on it. I need you to go grab a piece and hide the rest of it. Somewhere no one would look for it."

"Why? What is it?" Stefan had done quite a few weird things for his brother before, but this was one of the strangest.

"I can't really tell, but, please, just do it?"

Stefan was taken a little aback by his brother using the word please, so he decided not to push it. "Okay fine." he said before hanging up the phone and turning back to Elena.

Before he could explain to her what his brother had said, there was a knock on the door and a familiar voice called, "Stefan? It's Elena. Are you in there?"


	10. August 24th 1864 (3)

A/N - Hello everybody. So this is not officially the longest fanficion I have written which is an awesome personal achievement for me and I'm really excited sharing it with you. If you are still reading this by this point THANK YOU SO MUCH. You guys really are the reason I keep writing. And please don't be shy, leave a review, let me know what you think, what you want to happen, or just to chat.

Thanks to DreaminOfLove22 and Parodychick for reviewing.

Sorry this is so short but I promise the next chapter is going to be much longer.

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><p>August 24th 1864:<p>

Klaus stood in the doorway. Elijah stood in front of him, protecting Katherine.

"Brother, let me through. She tried to kill me and you know what happens when I don't get my revenge." Elijah didn't say a word, but continued to stare down his brother. "I tire of this game you are trying to play Elijah." Klaus flashed to Katherine and held her, ready to snap her neck. "Brother, this is what happens to those who try to hurt me and those who you try to hide from me." Without another second's hesitation, he snapped her neck and she fell to the floor.

"No!" Elijah yelled. He knew that she would wake up again, although his brother didn't, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't want to see her die. She would be different when she woke. Elijah wasn't sure who she would become after she changed, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.


	11. New Beginnings

A/N - Let me know what you guys think of this new chapter. Shout to Parodychick and DreaminOfLove22 for reviewing again ily.

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><p>Caroline was tired of trying to be a good friend to Bonnie, when it was obvious that Bonnie didn't want her there. She had done everything she could think of to cheer up her friend and she had tried to ask her what was wrong, but Bonnie wasn't going to tell her anything. She was being secretive and stubborn and those two things did not mix well.<p>

So Caroline went to see Tyler. She knew he was a bit of a jerk but he was also her boyfriend, and at that moment, Caroline needed someone to talk to and take her mind off her friend problems. She pulled up to his house and walked up to the door. She knocked and Tyler answered.

"Caroline." He said. "What are you doing here? I didn't think you would be coming over."

"I've been having a rough day and I-" Caroline was cut off by someone else inside the house.

"Ty? Who is it?"

Tyler looked back inside, upset. "No one. I thought I told you to stay upstairs."

Caroline looked at Tyler. "Who is that?" Tyler started trying to explain, but Caroline didn't give him a chance. She pushed through the door.

Standing halfway down the stairs was Vicki Donovan, wearing nothing but a bra and her underwear. Caroline pulled back and held in the tears that were already starting to build in her eyes.

She turned to Tyler. "Vicki Donovan?" She yelled. "You are cheating on me with Matt's sister? I knew you were a jerk, but I didn't think you would stoop this low, Tyler. If you want out of this relationship, then fine. You are out. We are done." She stomped out the front door and down the steps.

"Wait, Care, please, let me explain!" Tyler called after her.

She whirled around. "No. This is the last straw. We are over. For good." She glared at him, and then added as an afterthought, "And don't call me Care." She turned around, slid into the front seat of her car and pulled out of the driveway. Her day had just gone from bad, to worse.

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><p>"Stefan?" Elena knocked on the door again before deciding to go in. She took a few steps into the house but stopped in her track to take in what she was seeing.<p>

There was her identical image, her twin, dressed like her, smirking at her, and Stefan, looking back and forth between the two of them.

At that second Elena filled with an emotion she didn't often let herself feel. Hatred. She hated her sister for coming into her life and sabotaging it. "Katherine." She put as much of the loathing she was feeling behind the name.

It took all Elena had not to use her vamp speed in front of Stefan as she walked over to her sister. "What are you doing here Katherine?"

Katherine shrugged. "I came to meet your new _special friend._ And let me tell you sis, you really know how to pick em." Katherine eyed Stefan up and down, smiling like he was a toy she had been playing with.

"Wait." Stefan said, taking a step toward the girls. He pointed to Elena. "So _you're_ really Elena? And you," he turned to Katherine, "are called Katherine?"

Katherine turned her head to the side. "You really _are_ quite the genius."

Elena stepped toward Stefan. "Katherine's my twin sister. I was going to tell you eventually about her but . . ."

"Careful sis. You might hurt my feelings if you finish that sentence, and you know what happens when my feelings get hurt." Katherine looked at Stefan again. "Although, after that kiss, I might just turn him instead."

"Kiss?" Elena asked at the same time that Stefan said, "Turn?"

Katherine giggled to herself. She walked up close to Elena and whispered in her ear. "Have fun trying to explain _that_ to him." Then she walked over to Stefan, running her hand across the front of his chest. "It was nice to finally meet you Stefan." She headed to the door where she turned around one last time. "See you later." She waved to them and then was gone.

Elena turned to Stefan. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I mean, I just found out that the person I thought I was with wasn't really there and it was just kind of a shock."

Elena hurried over to him, checking his neck and wrists. "But she didn't hurt you?"

Stefan gave Elena a confused look. "Why would she have hurt me? And why you are at it, what did she mean by 'turn me'?"

Elena shook her head, hoping that he wouldn't push the issue. "Nothing. It's just, an inside joke between the two of us." She paused and looked up into his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I just answered that question."

"No, I mean, with all this." She hesitated before adding, "The kiss."

Stefan thought about it. "I'm not really okay." he said, apparently deciding to be fully honest with her. "I thought I was kissing my girlfriend and then found out it was actually her twin."

Elena smirked. "Girlfriend?"

Stefan smiled. "Elena Pierce. Would you like to be my girlfriend?"

She lit up and nodded, before letting her frown creep back in. How could she let herself be his girlfriend when she was keeping so many secrets from him? When she struggled not to hurt him on a daily basis? She would rather hurt his feelings here instead of breaking his heart later, or worse. "Stefan, I want to but -"

"Then what's stopping you?" Stefan asked, cutting her off. She could tell he was tired of her half-explanations and pulling back at the last second. Katherine had showed him what it could be like if he didn't have to wait in just one kiss. Katherine had succeeded in doing what Elena guessed was the whole reason for this stunt. She had shown him how his relationship with Elena was not normal, although he may not have understood the full extent of it.

Elena struggled with an explanation. "Stefan, there are things you don't know about me . . ." She didn't know how to explain just how much danger she was putting him in just by being there.

He shook his head. "I don't care." He gently held her face in his hands. "I realized something, during that kiss with your sister, Elena. I realized that I love you. Not Katherine. _You_. Yes, I was kissing her, but I thought it was you. I _wanted_ it to be you. Because I love you." He paused and she watched his eyes searching her face. "And I think you love me too."

Elena felt herself give him the faintest nod.

"Then there is no problem. Whatever has you so worried, it doesn't matter. What matters is that I love you." His hand slid behind her head and he leaned forward toward her, and she found herself leaning toward him. Before Elena knew what was happening, their lips meet and she forgot all of her worries.

The kiss was different than any other kiss she had felt before. Over one hundred and fifty years of living had hardened her. She was strong. She was a fighter. And she didn't often let people in. Whenever she did, they ended up dead and she didn't want to suffer any more of that pain. But while she was kissing Stefan, she didn't feel like she had to be strong. He was strong enough for the both of them and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. For the first time in a long time, Elena felt like she was safe, and she loved it. She didn't feel like a vampire, but like an ordinary girl kissing her ordinary boyfriend. This is what she had come to Mystic Falls for.

But no matter what she felt, Elena was still a vampire. She couldn't help but notice how fast his heart beat had gotten as it pumped blood beneath his skin. His heart sounded like a thunderstorm in her ears, reminding her what she was, and how she could never change.

She finally pulled away and took a deep breath, but she wasn't fast enough.

"Are you okay? Your face-"

Elena whirled around and faced the ground, trying to cover her face as she tried to get it to change back to normal. "It's nothing. I just have something in my eye." That was her go-to excuse, but it seemed to work most of the time. As she felt her face return to normal she turned to face her new boyfriend. "Im sorry. I," she hesitated, not wanting to leave him again, but finally deciding she didn't have another choice. She couldn't risk staying. "I have to go."

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><p>Damon walked up to Liz Forbes and sat down next to her. "Hello Liz."<p>

"Damon?"

"I know about the vampires. And about how this town, including it's _mayor_ are trying to cover it up. And I want in."

"You want in what?"

"Your secret club or whatever." Damon leaned in toward the Sheriff. "Look, I know there has to be more than just you and the mayor and I want in. I brought the vervain, and I have the rest of it it hidden in a safe place at my home. You want it because It protects against vampires?"

The sheriff studied him before nodding. "You want to be in the council?"

"Yes." Damon said triumphantly. "Now you are getting it. It's founding families, right? Well, I'm a member of the Salvatore family and I want in."

"How did you know it was the founding families?" Liz asked, genuinely curious.

Damon shrugged. "You, the mayor, my uncle, and I'll guess at least a couple of the Gilberts as well. It wasn't that hard to figure out."

The sheriff debated for a little while. "And if we let you in, you will supply the vervain?"

Damon nodded.

The sheriff shook her head and sighed. "I can't believe I am doing this." She held out her hand to him. "It's a deal." Damon took her hand and they shook on it.


	12. August 25th 1864 (1)

A/N - I'm back in school, but I'm still going. I love you all, and special thanks again to Parodychick for reviewing. Here is the next chapter!

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><p>August 25 1864:<p>

"Hello Elena." Katherine said, standing in the doorway. Elena was sitting writing in her diary again. Katherine would never understand that.

"Katherine, where have you been?" Elena asked, worried for her twin.

"Oh, you know, at Elijah's, talking to Klaus. The usual."

"What do you mean talking to Klaus? We just killed him."

Katherine smiled and shook her head.

Elena looked worried. "And you just talked with him?"

"Well, not exactly talk. More like he threatened us."

"Oh my goodness, Katherine. Come in and let me make sure you're okay." The moment she had finished saying it, Elena's realized the mistake she had just made, and what must have happened.

"Thank you for inviting me in, sister." Katherine said while stepping through the door.

"He turned you." It wasn't a question.

"And I'm here to turn you." Elena stood up and took a step back. This was something she had never wanted, and here her own sister was, threatening to turn her. "Elena, Klaus is alive, and we tried to kill him. He is out for blood and he won't stop until you and everyone you love is dead. This is a gift. It is the only way you are going to make it out of this night alive."

Elena shook her head, still backing away. "No, Katherine. This is bad. Tonight is the round-up. The counsel and anyone else in town willing to help are going to round up all the vampires and burn them alive. You can't be here. Just run. Run Katherine run, and don't look back."

Katherine turned to leave, then changed her mind at the last second. She knew she would regret it one day, but she wasn't going to leave her sister defenseless when Klaus came to kill her. And he would come. Katherine flashed across the room and ripped off her sister's vervain necklace, ignoring the searing pain she got from touching it. She stared her sister in the eyes and compelled her to drink her blood.


	13. The Founder's Party

A/N - Hello. I have now also uploaded this story on AO3. I have also been trying to come up with a better name because honestly, "How to be Human" is not very good and I finally came up with a new name. Sometime tomorrow I am going to be renaming this story "The Pierce Way". So, when you see that, this is that story.

Thank you to pegazus16 for reviewing.

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><p>"Will you go to the founder's party?" Stefan had asked his girlfriend. Of course she had said yes, and now here they were, walking up to the lockwood mansion, dressed up in fancy clothing which was probably making both of them slightly uncomfortable. Elena was wearing a red dress that flowed out at the hips, creating a flow of fabric that looked like a waterfall to her knees, and only wrapped around on shoulder. She had her hair straightened and Stefan had to admit he was a little starstruck.<p>

She took his arm as they headed into the house. There were people everywhere. Stefan spotted his brother standing to one side, talking to the Sheriff. Matt and Jeremy waved at him so he headed over to meet his friends, Elena following right behind him.

"Hey man, how are you doing?" Matt asked, patting Stefan on the back.

"Well, if you guys haven't noticed, I have a girlfriend now." Stefan turned to Elena. "Elena, this is Matt and Jeremy," Stefan pointed to each as he said their names, before addressing his friends. "Guys, meet Elena Pierce."

Jeremy stuck out his hand. "Nice to finally meet you Elena."

She took it and shook, before doing the same with Matt. "The pleasure is mine."

Stefan turned to his girlfriend and again held out his hand. "Would you like to dance with me?"

Elena smiled and took his hand, heading out onto the dance floor. Stefan put his hand on her hip, and took her hand in his other. They started swaying back and forth to the music. "This is nice, Stefan."

He looked down at her questioningly. "What is? Dancing?"

She nodded. "Dancing with you. Being your girlfriend. Doing something normal."

"Do you usually do things not normal?" he asked, half joking, but also a little curious. He could tell there was something different about her. They way she had acted the first night he had meet her, her reaction to him meeting her twin, and maybe even what he had seen happen to her face after they kissed, although that was probably just his imagination. But the things she said and the way she said them told him that she was not really as normal as she acted. Stefan didn't want to push it, but he wished she trusted him enough to tell him whatever she was keeping from him.

Elena never answered his question.

The song came to an end and he stepped off the dance floor. "I'm going to get us some drinks."

Elena nodded and Stefan left her, headed for the kitchen. He passed by his brother and couldn't help but feel a bit curious. Ever since that mysterious phone call about the plant, his brother had seemed to be acting different. It wasn't anything in particular, but I just seemed like he had suddenly gotten a new obsession.

Damon and the Sheriff were heading into a smaller room to the side the was closed off to the party. Stefan wasn't sure why, but he decided to follow his brother. He stood outside the room in the hallway, which luckily was empty, and pressed his ear to the door.

"Did you bring it?" said the Sheriff. There was a silence as Stefan assumed Damon pulled out and handed to her whatever she was talking about. "Good." she said. Another pause. "Damon, you know you can't tell anyone about this right? The council was created to keep this town safe from vampires and that is what we are going to do, but if anyone found out, who knows what would happen. People would think they were crazy or there would be a riot in the street. Either way, it doesn't end well." Stefan couldn't think. She must have been out of her mind. Vampires weren't real.

"I know." Damon answered. "I'm not planning on going around telling everyone I meet."

Stefan had heard enough. His brother must have been just as crazy as she was. Or maybe Stefan had heard them wrong. Maybe they had said "deadly liers" or it was a metaphor for something. Whatever the case, Stefan knew he didn't want to get caught listening in, so he continued on toward the kitchen. He grabbed two drinks and started heading back toward his date, the strange conversation already out of his mind.

Elena was standing next to the display of the first founder's party registry, staring at the paper.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" he said as he approached.

Elena snapped back to attention. "What? Oh, nothing. Come on, lets go over there and say hi to Caroline. She looks lonely. She just broke up with her boyfriend a few days ago"

Stefan nodded and started to head toward Elena's friend. But before he walked away from the table he glanced at the registry. It was a quick, split second act, but it made all the difference. Elena was already walking toward her friend, oblivious to the fact that Stefan wasn't right behind her. Stefan scanned the list and two names popped out at him. Elena Pierce and Katherine Pierce.

It was to weird. To much of a coincidence. Stefan's mind whirled, trying to find an explanation but it kept coming back to the same word. Vampire. He already knew Elena was different. She said she didn't like blood. Her face had changed into something he couldn't explain. She had been worried about his physical safety when she knew he had been with her sister. And she was registred as one of the original members of the founding families in 1864.

Stefan didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to jump to conclusions. But he didn't want to be with her either. Calmly, he put his cup down on the table and started walking toward the door. He heard Elena call his name, but pretended not to as he headed out the door and headed for his car. He had to know more. He had to know for sure before saying anything to her

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><p>Normally Caroline loved parties, but this year, she just wasn't up for it. Caroline was normally the girl who always had a date and always had everything figured out. But having just broken up with Tyler so recently, she didn't much feel like dancing or partying. The founders party was only the first of sure to be many more in the next few weeks, so she didn't feel too bad about leaving earily.<p>

She stepped into her car and put it in gear, driving away from the Lockwood mansion. She couldn't help but let her mind wander back to Tyler as she drove. She didn't understand how he could have done that to her. There had always been little things, things that she knew he did, but tried to ignore, but he had gone to far this time. Not only had he cheated on her, but he had done it with his best friend's sister.

Caroline shook her head, trying to blink away the tears that were threatening to overtake her vision.

She wasn't paying attention to where she was and found herself suddenly at a turn that was sharper than normal, and she was going a little too fast. She jerked the wheel to the right, trying to turn, but she only made it worse. She felt her back wheels lose traction and skid out to the left. By this point she had no control over her car. She was sliding sideways at 50 mph, and with terror she noticed the tree trunk a second before she hit it.

Caroline felt her body jerk as the car crushed against the tree. She felt something snap and she blacked out for a few seconds. She couldn't focus, but she knew, somehow that there was going to be absolutely no way that she was going to be walking away from this crash.

As her vision faded in and out, she noticed what looked like a girl walking toward her. But Caroline decided she must have been hallucinating as the girl raised her own wrist to her mouth and bit down on it. Caroline squeezed her eyes shut and counted to five before opening them again. The girl was still there. She walked toward the car and then did the last thing Caroline expected. She put her bleeding wrist to Caroline's mouth. Caroline attempted to struggle, but she wasn't able to move much at all.

After a few seconds, the girl stepped back and braced herself as she pulled the driver's side door off it's hinges. Now Caroline Knew she was hallucinating. No one was strong enough to do that. The girl reached in and pulled Caroline from the wreckage, carrying her in her arms. Caroline felt her eyelids grow heavy and the last thing she remembered was the sight of the pavement moving beneath her before she passed out for good.

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><p>Katherine knew she had just happened to be in the right place at the right time when she had overheard the conversation Stefan had had with his brother on the phone. She knew that the council must have still been around and she wasn't going to let it get in the way of anything. She needed someone on the inside.<p>

That was why she was currently standing in the middle of Damon's bedroom as he walked in, tired from the party and his first council meeting.

Damon was obviously confused. "Elena?"

Katherine smiled. She found it so amusing that she was so easily mistaken for her sweet, caring sister. Other than their looks, the two sisters couldn't be any more different. Katherine had a feeling that Elena had no idea that her new boyfriend's brother was on the founder's council and had access to a rather large amount of vervain, and Katherine was going to use that to her advantage. "Nope. Guess again."

"What?" Now Damon looked even more confused then when he had walked in to see, who he thought was his brother's girlfriend, standing in his room. Katherine was okay with that. He was kind of hot when he was confused.

"I'm not Elena. I'm Katherine, her sister."

"Okay . . ." Damon said, obviously expecting her to continue. She still hadn't told him why she had just shown up in his room.

Katherine walked up to him, studying his face. "Sometimes I really wonder what my sister is thinking. Why didn't she go for you? You really are quite hot. Why your brother?"

Damon was obviously flattered, but he seemed to be trying to hide it. "So what if I am hotter than my brother? Why are you here?"

Katherine inspected his body, checking for vervain. Finally she spotted something sticking out the pocket in her shirt. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed it and threw it to the other side of the room.

"Hey!" he protested, then noticing that it had burned her his eyes went wide. "You're a vampire."

Katherine had to admit she was quite entertained by this human. She had expected him to run or at least tense up in fear when he realized what she was, but instead he looked rather fascinated. She grabbed his face, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "I need your help. You are going to continue going to the council meetings. You will forget about me being here, but you will report back to me at the end of each day about the council's plans. You're going to be my spy."

Damon nodded slowly. "I will be your spy." he repeated.

Katherine smiled. "Very good." she said. Then she was gone, leaving a dazed Damon standing in the middle of his room.


	14. August 25th 1864 (2)

A/N - Here's another short chapter. Hope you like it. Thank you to Parodychick for reviewing again. :)

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><p>August 25th 1864:<p>

Elena couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't help but hear the sounds of people running for their lives and the gunshots of those chasing them. Her friend Anna was out there, fighting for her life and all Elena was doing was sitting there, listening to it happen.

Finally, she got up and ran outside, searching for her friend. She ran toward the shop that Anna's mother owned and rushed inside to find it empty. She looked around for clues to where the pair had gone, but found nothing. She rushed back outside and started running through the forest. She had to find her friend.

The night was dark and the trees looked like shadows as she flew past them. There was a loud crack in the distance and she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She had been shot. She would never know who had shot her, or if it was just a misfire, but that was the shot that would forever change Elena's life.

She felt herself fall to the ground and she blacked out.


	15. Reveals

A/N - Sorry that I didn't update till now. I have been pretty busy with school and stuff but I managed to keep writing. Thank you for reading, following, and favoriting (if that's a word). I love you all.

Thanks again to Parodychick and DreaminOfLove22 for continuing to review and comment. You're awesome.

I love reviews and feedback, so don't be shy. Here's the next chapter. :)

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><p>Stefan hadn't gotten any sleep that night. The moment he had gotten home, he had looked up his ancestor's journals from 1864. He needed a first-hand account about who the Elena and Katherine who had signed the registry at the first founder's part really were. He didn't want to admit it, but the evidence pointing to <em>that<em> Elena and _his_ Elena being the same person was adding up.

He had frantically searched for a journal from that time period and pulled it down from the shelves. As he read page after page, it became clear that at least the Giuseppe Salvatore that had written the journal had believed in vampires. To him, they were real creatures that were to be feared.

Stefan flipped forward, looking for a mention of Katherine or Elena. About halfway through the journal there was a passage about them. They were the twin daughters of Jonathan Gilbert and, supposedly, they had no idea about the town's vampire problem. Elena was more of a recluse, she liked to sit up in her room and write or read, while her sister Katherine, always seemed to be seducing one boy or another. Giuseppe didn't have much more on the subject of the Pierce twins, but that was all the information Stefan needed.

The Elena and Katherine Pierce from 1864 were twins, and the Elena Stefan knew was identical to her twin sister Katherine. It wasn't a coincidence, they had to be the same girls.

Stefan sat up from his bed, trying to stretch out the night's lack of sleep. There was a knock on the door downstairs. He rushed to get dressed and made it down the stairs just as his brother was leading Elena into the living room.

Stefan stopped short when he saw his girlfriend. "Damon, could you give us a moment alone please?" Stefan said, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Sure brother." Damon gave Stefan a questioning look and then left the room.

Stefan's heart was beating faster than he had ever felt it beat before. He was terrified of what he was about to ask, but he had to know. He had to hear her say it.

"Elena." He took another deep breath. "What are you?"

Elena looked at him with concern. She must have known it would come to this eventually. Maybe she could even hear his heart beat going crazy.

Elena stood up and walked over to him, standing in front of him, but not to close. "I didn't want you to know. I wanted to be normal. I guess I knew that you would figure it out eventually, but I hoped I would have time." She looked up into his eyes, trying to convey the seriousness of what she was going to say. "Are you sure you want to know? It's dangerous."

Stefan nodded. "I need to know. What are you?"

Elena looked down and subconsciously pulled her hair behind her ear. She looked up again and took a deep breath. "I'm a vampire."

As calmly as he could, Stefan said, "I want you to leave. Please."

Elena looked hurt, but didn't protest.

When the door shut behind her, Stefan walked over to the sofa and sank into it, trying to comprehend what exactly it meant.

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><p>Caroline woke up in the hospital to the sounds of beeping and the smell of cleanliness. She moaned as she tried to sit up, sore from the crash.<p>

Someone sitting in the chair next to her jerked awake. "Hey sweetie." said her mom.

Caroline smiled. "Hi mom." She searched the room for a clock, but couldn't find one. "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven." the Sheriff replied after checking her watch. "Try not to move too much. Somehow you survived that crash, but let's not press our luck."

Caroline laid back, slightly nodding her head. "Yeah, how _did_ I get out of the car? I don't really remember much. I remember the car crashing into a tree and then . . ." Caroline remembered the strange girl and decided to keep that to herself. She didn't need people thinking she was even crazier than they already thought.

The Sheriff shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't know. We got an anonymous 911 call and by the time we got there you were laying twenty feet from the car, passed out, but not injured really. They want to keep you here for 24 hours to keep you under observation, but you're going to be fine. It's a miracle."

Matt poked his head in the doorway to the room. "Hey Caroline. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay I guess. I mean, I survived and wasn't injured so . . ."

Caroline's mom stood up. "Well I'm going to leave you two alone for now. I'll be back later." She headed out the door as Matt came over to the side of her bed and gave her a gentle hug.

"I can't believe you came to see me." Caroline said.

Matt shrugged like it was no big deal. "Well, you were there for me this summer, so I want to be here for you."

Caroline smiled at the memories. That summer had been rough for Matt. His sister was a major druggy, and his mom had been in and out of his house, causing trouble when she was there, and leaving Matt with a house and sister to take care of when she wasn't.

Caroline had noticed him sitting alone, and quite honestly, looking wreaked, one day at the Grill and had gone over to see if he was okay. She wasn't sure exactly why she had decided to be a good friend to him that day, especially as they had never really been close before, but she had, and in return, he had opened up to her. He had told her about all that was going wrong in his life and how he didn't feel equipped to handle it.

For the rest of the summer, whenever he needed it, he called her. Whether to talk to someone about his problems, to which she would do her best to give good advice, or just to get away from his stressful life for a short time.

They had become good friends. It was somewhat strange and unusual, but they had grown closer over the summer.

"Thank you Matt. You really are a good friend." Caroline thought of all the trouble she was going through right now.

He smiled. "Just returning the favor."

* * *

><p>Stefan decided he needed to get out of his house. He asked his brother if he wanted to go for a drink at the grill. Damon was a little surprised Stefan was asking him and not the other way around, but he accepted without question.<p>

The brothers sat down side by side at the bar. Damon ordered two drinks and slid one over to his brother. "Fess up."

Stefan turned to face his brother. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, man. I know you better than that. Something's been bothering you all day. Heck, you were the one who wanted to come have a drink."

Stefan shook his head. "Nothing's wrong."

Damon was about to reply, not ready to give up, when a man walked up to the two of them and cut him off. "Do either of you know Elena Pierce?"

"Yep." Damon answered. "You're looking at her boyfriend." Damon smiled.

"You're her boyfriend?" the man said addressing Damon.

"No." Stefan said. "I am. My brother just thinks he is being funny."

"Oh okay." The man hesitated for a second then asked. "Could I speak to you for a second," he threw a glance at Damon. "Alone?"

Stefan knew it was probably a bad idea, but he was curious what this man had to say. Did he know what she was? Was he going to warn Stefan against getting to know her? He stood up and walked out the door and into the alleyway next to the Grill with the other man following him.

He turned around. "So what-" Stefan stopped short when he saw the man's face. It was veiny like he had seen Elena's do and he had somehow grown fangs.

"I was just looking for the Pierce, to send a message, but now I think it would be so much easier to have you do it." The man lunged at Stefan's neck, baring his fangs.

There was a flash as the man was knocked off of him. Stefan scrambled back to his feet. There was Elena and the other man, fighting with fists and kicks, but it was different than anything Stefan had seen before. Every few seconds one of them seemed to move ten times faster than normal, whether they were dodging a punch, or putting extra umph into their kick. Finally Elena managed to pin the man against the wall, holding him by the throat.

"What do you want?" she barked at him.

He managed a smile beneath the blood dripping from his nose and snickered.

Elena pushed him further up the wall and he gasped for breath.

"Alright, alright." He said. She dropped him and he landed on his feet. He took a few seconds rubbing his throat and coughing before he finally stood up. "I come with a message."

"A message from who?"

The guy smiled again. "He says, he knows where you are. He knows what you did and he is coming."

Elena stepped back, looking like she had seen a ghost. The guy sped away, leaving a shocked Stefan and a worried looking Elena.

"What does he mean?" Stefan asked.

Elena shook herself out of whatever trance she had been in and turned to Stefan. "What?"

"What did he mean when he said that? Who is 'he'?" Stefan clarified.

"Nothing. It's nothing." She finally seemed to realize what had just happened. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No." Stefan said. "I'm fine. You got here just in time." Stefan hesitated. "Thank you."

"Of course I find you in an alley somewhere."

Stefan and Elena turned toward the front of the alleyway to find the source of the new voice. Standing in front of them was a girl with straight blonde hair, a cute black shirt, skinny jeans, and high heeled boots. Stefan noticed Elena's smile growing.

"Lexi."


	16. August 26th 1864

A/N - Hello again. Thanks for sticking with this story. I have loved all the reviews I've gotten and I love all of you followers. Thank you again for keeping me writing.

Special thanks to for reviewing.

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><p>August 26th 1864:<p>

Elena woke in the forest, probably the same spot she had fallen. She stood up and looked around, trying to get her bearings. It was morning, the next day. It was bright and sunny and Elena didn't like it. She held up her hand to shield her eyes from the bright light and started walking.

Her memories slowly came back to her. How she had gone out to look for Anna, how she had been shot, and then another memory. The memory of her sister, forcing her to drink her blood. Elena knew what was happening. She had seen it happen before. But seeing it happen to someone else and experiencing it for yourself was different.

After walking some time, she came across a road, littered with remains of the previous night's battle. There were quite a few dead men, lying on the road. Elena could smell their blood.

Someone moaned from the other side of the road. "Help me."

Elena rushed over. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"One of the demons bit me. I'm too weak to walk. Please help me get home." Elena nodded and started to lift him off the ground, and then noticed the blood. It was out in the open, sitting there on his neck, waiting for her to take it, and in that moment, Elena didn't want to die. She did the one thing she never wanted to do, and became the monster that she so feared.


	17. Threats and Consequences

A/N - Hello everyone. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for all your reviews, favorites and follows, as well as all of you who just came to check it out.

I am especially thankful to DreaminOfLove22 and Parodychick for their many reviews. You guys are amazing.

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><p>Damon walked dazed back to a seat at the bar. His brother's conversation with that guy had obviously been private, so of course Damon had decided to follow them outside. Damon had hidden around the front corner of the building, listening and watching when he could to everything that happened. The man had been a vampire, and he had attacked Stefan. Damon had been about to jump out and help his brother, when another vampire showed up.<p>

Damon had to do a double take before he realized who the second vampire was. It was Elena. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised, but he hadn't even considered the possibility that Stefan would know about it. He had done everything in his power to keep his little brother away from it all. He had even made him wear vervain.

Being part of the council, Damon was pretty sure that the first thing they would have wanted him to do was call it in. They wanted to know exactly who all the vampires in the town and if they found out about Elena, they would probably kill her. But Damon knew just how much his brother loved her and he couldn't bring himself to call the Sheriff.

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><p>The sun had just set and Katherine was finally standing outside the door of the person she had originally come to this town to see. Normally, Katherine would have gotten straight to the point and threatened someone in order to get what she wanted by now, but this time was different. With her sister in town and a council on the lookout for rogue vampires, Katherine wasn't going to take any chances.<p>

But now it was finally time. Katherine walked up the front steps and knocked on the door. Again, not her normal style, but she needed to be invited in first. There was a moment as someone came to get the door and then it swung open.

In front of Katherine stood a brunette, a few inches shorter than her, with olive skin.

"Hello?" The girl asked.

"Are you Bonnie Bennett?" Katherine asked. After years of wanting this, she needed to make sure she had the right person. Nothing could go wrong.

The girl, Bonnie, nodded. "Yeah, who are you?"

Katherine stared into Bonnie's eyes. "Someone you want to invite in."

Bonnie looked confused. "Why would I want to invite you in?" she asked.

Katherine was slightly taken aback by the fact that Bonnie couldn't be compelled, but she played it off. "Because I have an offer I don't think you will be able to decline."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "I don't want to buy anything." She was about to close the door as Katherine rolled her eyes. "You witches. You really are hard to please."

The door swung all the way open, Bonnie suddenly very interested in what Katherine had to say. "What do you want? Who are you?"

Katherine smiled, glad she finally had the witch's full attention. "I want you to do a spell for me."

Bonnie shook her head. "I can't. I'm still learning about all this stuff. My Grams just told me about who I am a few weeks ago. Why don't you ask her for help?"

Katherine sighed, hating the answer to that question. "Look, I need you to make me a daylight ring."

Bonnie's eyes went wide. "You're a vampire"

Katherine nodded.

Bonnie stood resolute in the safety of her doorway. "I won't do anything for you. Witches don't get involved in vampire business."

"Oh well that's a shame. I guess you won't get involved when I kill one of your friends then." Katherine shrugged. "Vampire business and all."

Bonnie stared at Katherine with a look filled with hatred. "I won't do anything for you." The door slammed shut.

Katherine turned and walked down the stairs. "Wrong answer."

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><p>Elena broke into a run as she ran over to her old friend and gave her a giant hug. "Lexi! I can't believe you're here. It's so nice to see you." Lexi hugged her back. Elena pulled away. "What are you doing here?"<p>

Lexi shrugged and smiled. "I missed you." He smile faded and she got a serious look on her face. "Elena, I followed a vamp here. Klaus sent him. I don't know why, but if we know anything about Klaus, it's that nothing he does is good. I wanted to warn you."

Elena nodded. "Yeah, I think I just met him. He gave me a message. Lexi, he said he was coming."

Stefan cleared his throat and Elena remembered that he had no idea who Lexi was. She stepped back and gestured to her blond haired friend. "Stefan, this is my longtime friend Lexi. Lexi, Stefan." Elena wondered she should tell Stefan what Lexi was. She decided that he ought to know, now that he know about her. "She is a vampire too."

Lexi threw a surprised glance at Elena. "He knows what you are?" she asked.

Elena nodded again. "Let's head back inside. I could use a good drink."

The trio headed around the corner and in the front door of the Mystic Grill.

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><p>Katherine done had enough waiting around. She had stalled and stalked. She had a spy in the council and her sister had no idea of her true intention. The Bennett's refusal to help wouldn't last long. The girl was new to the whole business of working with vampires, which provided an interesting opportunity to Katherine. Bonnie didn't know that no one was allowed to help Katherine.<p>

If the Bennett Girl didn't want to help, what she needed was a little push. Katherine had been in Mystic Falls long enough to get an idea about who mattered to who. Bonnie's best friend was Caroline. So maybe what Bonnie needed was a little push to make her realize how dangerous it was to refuse Katherine what she wants.

Katherine walked into the hospital. The fact that she looked like Elena probably helped. She made her way to Caroline's room with no difficulty.

Caroline was laying on the bed watching some show on the TV. "Elena?" she asked when she saw Katherine walk into the room.

"You know, it really is entertaining that so many people mistake me for her." Katherine said to Caroline, who, as the speech continued looked increasingly more confused. "We Pierce's are so different. But you know what, maybe we aren't so different after all. No matter how hard she tries, she is still a vampire. She will and has cracked, and when that happens, that's when we see her true colors. We both want the same thing in the end. To live and love. That's just the Pierce way. We are survivors and we are lovers. We know how to do both. She has her friends, and I have my allies. I will soon have my own ring, thanks to you," Katherine nodded at Caroline at this. "And we will be ready, come what may. The council, Klaus, anything else the universe has to offer, we will be ready."

Katherine finished her speech and looked down at Caroline, who was cowering as far as she could manage to get from Katherine. She obviously thought her visitor was insane.

"Oh Caroline, I'm sorry it has to end like this, but I need to send a message to a certain witch." Katherine reached down and snapped the pretty blonde's neck.

Before anyone could come running, the one hundred and fifty year old vampire was gone.

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><p>End of book 1<p> 


	18. The New Teacher

A/N - Hello everyone. I Have finally got the first chapter of Book 2 for you!

I hope you like it and thank you all for sticking with me so far. I love all of you.

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><p><strong>BEGINNING OF BOOK 2<strong>

**The Pierce Reality**

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><p>Caroline opened her eyes and took a huge gasp of air. It felt like it was the first air she had had in her lungs in hours. The first thing she noticed was that she was still in the hospital. From the amount of light in her room, it looked like it was the middle of the night.<p>

The second thing she noticed was the smell. She had never smelt anything like it before. It didn't necessarily smell good, but she craved it. She felt like she was starving.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed. For some reason, the hospital was starting to feel more and more like a prison every second. She needed to get out.

Caroline grabbed the bag of her clothes which was sitting next to her bed and, as quietly as she could, slipped into them. She hated wearing dirty clothing, but it was better than her hospital robe. When she was dressed she headed toward the door of her room and cracked it open as quietly as she could.

After hesitating for a second to see if anyone would notice, she opened the door all the way. There was someone sitting at a desk across from her room, but they seemed to be distracted, playing a game on the computer and probably half delirious, being assigned the midnight shift.

Caroline stepped out of her room and made her way down the hall, checking every few feet to make sure the nurse was still staring at her computer. Finally, she made it to the end of the hall and turned left, quickly coming up to the front desk, which wasn't so empty.

Caroline thought on her feet, and before they noticed her, she ran up to one of the receptionists. "They need your help back there." She said frantically. "Didn't you get an alert?" One of the lady's shook her head. "Well, Susan is having trouble with one of the patients. She needs help." Caroline prayed that she had remembered the nurse's name correctly from the one time she had been in her room.

She must have gotten the name right, because the receptionist closest to Caroline stood up and jogged back down the hallway Caroline had come from. The other lady watched her go, and Caroline took her chance. She ran for the front door, and was outside much faster than she thought she would be.

The fresh air felt good. Driven by pure instinct, Caroline headed for the woods. She weaved between the trees and around the brush much faster than she thought possible. A new smell hit her nose. Burning wood. Someone had a fire going. She headed toward the smell and pretty soon she heard the sound of someone talking and a few other people laughing a little ways ahead of her.

She made it to the site of the fire and suddenly her previous hunger came back with a vengeance. She needed to eat. She needed blood. She didn't know how or why, but she found herself heading toward the first person she saw. She felt her face change and a set of fangs grew in her mouth.

"Caroline? What are you doing?" The girl was saying. "It's me, Vicki. What's wrong?" Caroline could hear what was being said, but it barely registered. She lunged and sank her teeth into Vicki's neck, draining every last drop of blood from her body

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><p>There was another knock on the door. Bonnie groaned and rolled over, pushing herself out of her bed. With her dad away for the weekend, she was all alone, which meant that she was the one who had to tell whoever was at the door this early in the morning to go away.<p>

She opened the door, and was no longer tired. "You."

The girl standing on the Bennet's front porch rolled her eyes. "My _name_, is Katherine Pierce, but I guess 'you' works too."

Bonnie was tired of playing games. "What do you want now? I told you I won't help you."

"Well, you see," Katherine began, "I thought you just might want to know that your bff, Caroline, had a slight accident. Her neck may have snapped under my hands."

Bonnie took in a quick breath. "You killed her?" Katherine shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "opps". Bonnie's heart fell through her chest into her stomach. How could her best friend be dead?

"And if you don't want anyone else to die," Katherine continued, "then I suggest you give me what I want. I want a daylight ring."

Bonnie stared up at Katherine through her tears with hatred. "Fine."

Katherine smiled. "See. That wasn't too hard."

Bonnie searched through her house and found a bracelet that would work and grabbed her grimoire. The first rays of sun peaked over the tips of the trees and Bonnie placed it in the light as Katherine hid in the shadow of the house. Bonnie studied the spell in the grimoire and murmured over the bracelet.

After a few moments, she picked it up and shoved it at Katherine. "Here is your precious Daylight bracelet. That will have to do because I don't have any rings laying around that would fit you." Katherine took the bracelet and tentatively stuck her hand into the sunlight. It didn't burn. Bonnie continued. "But if you hurt any of my friends again,"

"You'll what?" Katherine asked, knowing she now had the upper hand. Not only was she a vampire, but now she could walk in the sunlight. "What are you, a new witch, going to do against me, a hundred and fifty year old vampire who just killed your friend as easily as changing clothes?"

Bonnie glared at Katherine. "Go rot in hell."

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><p>Elena opened her locker and glanced over at Stefan, debating whether or not she should approach him. Ever since he had found out about her being a vampire, things had been more than a little strained between the two. Of course, that was to be expected, but that didn't make it any easier on Elena.<p>

She had been hoping that their situation would get better after she saved his life the night before at the bar, but it didn't seem she was that lucky. He kept his distance. He had thanked him for saving his life and been polite to Lexi, but excused and left as soon as he could. Lexi had told her to give him time, it was a big shock for him.

Elena sighed as she closed her locker, deciding she didn't need anything in it anyway. Finally, she decided just to risk it. She was a hundred and fifty year old vampire, she had been through much worse than some high school boy's rejection anyway.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Elena asked, not really sure how to start a conversation.

"I'm fine." He closed his locker and turned to her. "Look, I'm cool with the whole thing, okay? I won't tell anyone what you are. But I need some time."

Elena nodded. "Okay. Sorry." She glanced down at her schedule to check what class she had next. History, great she thought to herself. Having lived for a century and a half, she already knew a lot more about history then she wished she did.

She found the classroom and made her way to an empty seat toward the middle of the room. After a minute of the rest of the students settling in, the bell rang and the new teacher walked in. For the past few weeks they had had a substitute teacher while the board searched for a permanent teacher, after the last teacher quite the week before school. He started writing something on the board.

"Alaric Saltzman." He said. "Some people call me Ric, but you can all call me Mr. Saltzman." He smiled and spread out his arms. "I'm your new history teacher."

Elena couldn't help but smile slightly. He didn't seem like a normal history teacher. She had a feeling she was going to get along well with him.

The class went by in blur. First they went around the room and said their names and their favorite decade. "I know every other teacher asks for a random fact about you or what you did this summer, so I wanted to do something different." He had said.

"Elena Pierce." Elena said when it was her turn. "And my favorite decade is the 20's." Most of the other students had said the 70's or 80's but Elena had loved the 20's. The 20's were when she became friends with Lexi. The two of them had loved the smooth jazz and flapper dresses.

Mr. Saltzman nodded, impressed. "Nice choice."

They finished going around the room and Mr. Saltzman passed out a syllabus before going over what topics they were going to cover in the year.

By the time the bell rang, Elena was ready for lunch, but he called out her name. "Miss Pierce, would you please stay behind a moment?" Wondering what she could have possibly done already to get in trouble, she nodded.

She walked up to his desk and watched as all the other students filed out. When the last one was out the door, Mr. Saltzman closed it and locked it behind him.

Elena stood up straight, quickly at attention. "What did you do that for?"

Mr. Saltzman turned back toward her, murder in his eyes. "You killed my wife, and now I am going to kill you."

Elena backed up slowly, watching as he pulled out a wooden stake from the inside of his shirt. "Look, I don't know who you or your wife are, but I haven't killed anybody in a long time."

He shook his head. "No. I saw you. A few years ago at Duke College, you killed my wife."

Elena racked her brains, trying to remember anything like he described, but she couldn't think of doing what he was accusing her of. Suddenly the pieces fell into place in her head.

She shook her head, holding her hands out. "No, you didn't see me." Elena tried to explain. "You saw my _sister_, Katherine. She is the violent one. I have it under control. I don't hurt anyone unless I have to."

Elena saw him hesitate, and that was all she need. She zipped over to behind him and ripped the stake out of his hand, throwing it across the room. He spun around to face her.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone." Elena said again. "If anything, I'm on your side."

She turned around and unlocked the door, heading out into the hall, leaving behind a very confused history teacher.


	19. November 7th 1889 (1)

A/N - I hope you are enjoying this story as much as you did the first one. I have so many ideas and I can't wait to bring in even more of our favorite characters and relationships. I always love reviews.

Thank you to Parodychick and DreaminOfLove22 for reviewing. I really love you guys, you keep me writing. :)

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><p>November 7th 1889 (1):<p>

Elijah gazed into Katherine's eyes. He was never quite sure when or why he had fallen in love with Katherine Pierce, but ever since he had laid eyes on her, he had loved her. He had been worried about who she would become when she first transitioned to vampire, but now he didn't really care. She was strong. She would survive anything, even his brother if he were to find out how she and her sister had faked their deaths and managed to escape his temper.

That had been 25 years ago. 25 years wasn't much for a vampire, but still, Elijah was thankful for every moment he had spent with Katherine. Of course they had had their ups and downs, especially when she first turned, but she caught on quickly. She was a fast learner. She understood the need to be discrete. And in all that time, Klaus had miraculously never found out about the undead nature of the twins that once tried to kill him.

Elijah leaned over and gently kissed her.

The door was kicked open.

Elijah and Katherine pulled apart and turned to face the door.

"Rebekah?" Elijah said, surprised. He had not seen his sister in many years.

She walked into the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt this little party, but I thought you would want to know, Klaus is coming."

Katherine sat up. "What?"

"He is on his way right now, and if he arrives to the same scene I just did, I can assure you, neither of you would leave alive. Being as I love my brother Elijah and I don't want to have to wait another 100 years till he decided to undagger you to see you again, I thought I would let you know."

Katherine's eyes went wide. She scrambled out of the bed and pulled on her clothes. She paused a second and turned to Elijah. "I'm sorry. But I can't be anywhere near here when he gets here. Good bye."

Before Elijah could say anything or even ask where she was going, she was gone.


	20. Two Murderous Vampires

A/N - I am now pretty much in full swing of writing this story. I have timed it so that I will be posting the last chapter of the second book the day before The Vampire Diaries Season 6 comes on. This book is looking like it is going to be much longer in words, as each chapter I write just grows longer. I am always looking for reviews and feedback. Let me know what you think and if you have any Ideas that I hope I would do in the future with this fic just let me know. Thanks for reading.

Also, thank you to Parodychick again for another review. I love getting your feedback. :)

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><p>Liz paced back and forth. This was bad. Really, really bad. Six dead bodies, all drained of blood with bite marks in their necks. There was no question anymore. It was definitely a vampire attack. The council had made sure that the official coroner's report said it had been overdose, but who knew how long that lie would hold up.<p>

There had been a significant rise in vampire activity in the past few months. First the Jeremy boy at the bonfire, a few murders scattered around the outskirts of town, and now this. It had been a blood bath.

She was going to have to do something eventually. How many more lies could this town take before it started looking a little closer at the evidence.

Then there was the issue of Caroline. Even since she had run from the hospital in the middle of the night, she had been different. Lucky, Liz had found her wandering around the next night, after a frantic day of searching. But Caroline had seemed even more removed and rather sick for the past few days. She wouldn't even come out of her room anymore.

The Sheriff shook her head. She really needed a break. This was too much for her to process.

"Sheriff?" John Gilbert poked his head out into the hallway where she had been pacing.

She looked up and nodded at him. "Yeah, I'm coming. Just trying to get everything clear in my head first." She took a deep breath and steeled herself to go in a talk before the council. She couldn't worry about her daughter right now, she had more important things to deal with.

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><p>Alaric sat down at the Grill and ordered a drink from Matt, glad it was finally friday. This first week of teaching had been long, but he knew he would get used to it eventually. After his encounter with Elena the first day, he had had no more vampire related trouble.<p>

He had been to every library within ten miles and googled all he could about the Pierce sisters and come up with almost nothing on them. Everything he read said that they were twins, that much he had gathered for himself, and that they lived back in the 1860s in Mystic Falls.

There were stories and lore about them. Myths that seemed so crazy that they couldn't possibly be true. But every story agreed on one thing. Thought they were both vampires, and did what they had to to survive, Katherine was much more ruthless and selfish then her sister, who was generally portrayed as caring and loyal. Of course, these were just stories and probably were not to be relied on, but from everything Alaric had seen about Elena and what she had said to him that first day about her sister, it seemed to make sense. He almost couldn't help but feel a little protective of her. He liked her, even if he wasn't quite sure why.

"Excuse me, do you know where I could find Tyler Lockwood?"

Alaric looked up from his drink at the man standing over him, who had pulled him from his thoughts. "I'm sorry. I'm pretty new here myself." he said, while shaking his head.

The man sighed and sat down, taking a break from looking of the kid. "The kid's only 16 and yet somehow no one seems to know where he would be. I mean, how many places is a 16 year old kid going to hang out in a town like this?" He held out his hand to Alaric. "I'm Mason by the way, Mason Lockwood."

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><p>Caroline followed Elena to the Salvatore house. It had been almost a full week since she had escaped from the hospital. The morning after she had been out in the forest when the sun rose. When she had started to burn up, she zipped around, trying to find shade. Eventually she had found the old Lockwood cellar, and taken shelter there for the rest of the day, but now she was confined to the interiour of her house whenever the sun was out.<p>

Her excuse about being sick and not feeling well was only going to work for so long on her mother and she was running out of options. But while she couldn't get around during the day, she was still able to snoop around at night. She remembered being visited in the hospital by Elena Pierce, or at least someone who looked like her, right before all of this had happened. So the logical thing to do was follow Elena. Even if she wasn't the one who had visited Caroline that night, she was pretty sure that Elena knew a lot more than she was letting one.

She watched from the bushes as Elena walked up to the house and knocked. Stefan opened the door. He looked surprised, but hesitantly gestured for her to follow him inside anyway. Before the door could close, Caroline flashed up to it, intending to slip in behind Elena unnoticed. She made it to the threshold and ran into some kind of invisible barrier.

Elena turned around and saw Caroline standing in the doorway. "Caroline?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

Caroline struggled for words. "I was just. . . I mean I . . ." she knew she wasn't very good at thinking up excuses, so she changed the subject. "Why can't I get in?"

Elena looked confused for a second and then something seemed to dawn on her. Caroline watched Elena turn back toward Stefan, who had stepped back into the middle of the room. She said, "Invite her in."

"What?" Stefan asked.

"Just tell her that she can come in." Elena clarified.

Stefan waited a second and then looked at Caroline. "You can come in."

Caroline didn't know how that was supposed to work, but she gave the doorway another try. Her foot went right through. She stepped in and shut it behind her.

Elena was staring at her. Caroline felt a like a clown in the middle of a business meeting. "What?" She asked, wanting her friend to explain and stop staring at her like that.

Elena threw a glance at Stefan and then walked toward Caroline. "You still haven't realized what you are yet, have you? How long has it been?"

"What? I don't . . . I don't know what you are talking about." Caroline took a step back as Elena came toward her, as if she was trying to comfort her.

Elena hesitated to answer. Finally, she spoke up. "Caroline, you're a vampire." The room was silent.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Caroline had put it together a long time ago, but she didn't want to admit it. Not even to herself. But the clues had been there. The blood, fangs, sunlight burning, not being able to cross the threshold. It was obvious really.

But hearing the words out loud was too much. Caroline felt herself crumple to the floor and the tears were running down her face onto the carpet before she even knew she was crying. She was a monster. She had hurt people. She had _killed_ people. She had killed _Vicki_. How could she have done that to Matt? His sister was really all he had and now she had even taken that away from him.

Elena rushed over to comfort her. "Hey." She said, taking Caroline's head in her hands. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. Look at me." There was another pause. "I'm one too."

Caroline looked up at Elena. "You're a . . ."

Elena nodded. "Vampire."

Caroline took a deep breath trying to get a hold of her emotions. "Okay, but what do we do from here?" She grabbed Elena, suddenly desperate. "I've killed people."

Elena gave Caroline a hand up and then big hug. When she pulled away, she looked her friend in the eyes. "So have I."

"Well that's just great. Now I have _two_ murderous vampires in my house." The two girls and Stefan turned to face Damon, who had just come down the stairs into the room. He made his way over to the alcohol and poured himself a glass, then looked up. "What? Did you all really think I didn't know about all this?" He gestured toward Elena and Caroline.

Elena was the first to speak. "You know about me?"

"Of course." he said, as if he was talking about the fact that she had on a purple shirt.

"But you never said anything to me?" Stefan asked.

Damon shook his head and shrugged. "Didn't feel the need to bring you into all this. Look, I've just gotten on the founder's council. You know," he looked at Elena, "the one that hunts down all the vampires in this town." Elena nodded. Caroline wondered how she knew what he was talking about. "But, since I have no _personal_ quarrel with vampires, I didn't tell them about you when I found out." He grabbed his drink and plopped down on the couch. "But if she," he nodded to Caroline, "starts going around killing more people, like those people on the news, I might have to kill her." He turned toward Caroline, addressing her. "I'm assuming they were you?" Caroline looked back down at the floor, ridden by guilt, giving him the answer he was expecting. "Need to keep up the pretense for the council don't I?"

Caroline stood up straight, determined not to let him threaten her. "I won't do it again." She wouldn't let herself get that out of control ever again. She was new to this, but she didn't want to hurt anyone ever again. But to do that she had to learn how to use her newfound powers. She turned to Elena. "I do have a lot of questions though."

"So do I." Stefan said, stepping toward his (ex?) girlfriend. "I think it's about time I found out exactly what it means." He said. "The fact that you are a vampire, I mean." He clarified after a second.

Elena looked between the two of them and nodded, then threw a glance over at Damon who was still sitting on the couch and said, "Are you staying too?"

Damon put his feet up on the coffee table. "This is my house, and I want to know more about all this vampire stuff anyway." He made a big show of getting comfortable like you would before a bedtime story. "Tell us everything." he said in a mock enthusiastic voice.

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><p>Klaus spotted the town sign. <em>Welcome to Mystic Falls<em> it said. He chuckled to himself. If the town knew who he was, they might not have wanted to welcome him. Such a cozy little town. No wonder that backstabbing, sneaky Elena Pierce had chosen here to go into hiding. It was the last place he would have looked for her. However, being an Original had it's perks. He had spies everywhere.

He was here to find her and her sister and punish the both of them for what they did to him. He was here to take back what they stole from him. For over 100 years Elena Pierce had eluded him and kept him from what he wanted, but that was soon going to change. He was going to get the moonstone back.


	21. November 7th 1889 (2)

A/N - I can't believe I already have four chapters up in this new story. And the new season is coming up fast! Is anyone else as excited as I am for season 6?

Anyway, thanks to Parodychick and DreaminOfLove22 for reviewing. Enjoy this next chapter!

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><p>November 7th 1889 (2)<p>

Klaus strutted into the building where he knew his brother was staying. He jogged up the stairs and headed straight to the room. He walked through the doorway, right up to his older brother.

"Elijah, dear brother, I have heard a rather disturbing rumor, and I thought I would come to see if it was true."

Elijah stared down his brother. "What are you asking?"

"I heard a rumor from one of my witch friends that a certain set of twins that tried to wrong me in the past were still alive. I knew you had a thing for one of them. Do you know if they somehow survived my killing them?" Elijah was a good actor, but Klaus was almost certain he could see something in his brother's eyes flicker in fear.

"How dare you ignore me for years, and then come in here accusing me of things without any proof." Elijah answered.

Klaus wasn't deterred. "I haven't accused you of anything . . . yet. But now I am asking. Have you or have you not seen, or at least heard rumor of the girls surviving?"

"No I have not." Elijah said.

Klaus turned to his only sister. "Rebekah, do you know if he is telling the truth? And let me assure you, if either of you are lying to me, I will find out."

Elijah turned to Rebekah, begging her with his eyes to back him up. She looked back and forth between her two brothers. Which would she betray?

Finally she looked at Klaus. "He is lying. I saw him with the fiesty one only minutes before you arrived." She turned to Elijah, who looked like he had just been stabbed in the back. "I'm sorry Elijah, but I don't want to be daggered in a box for the next hundred years."

"Thank you for your honesty, sister." Klaus said. "You may go." She threw another apologetic look at Elijah before she was gone, out the door. Klaus faced his brother again. "So it seems you have betrayed me once again, brother. Those two girls plotted to kill me and yet you neglected to mention that they survived. And as vampires, no doubt."

Elijah didn't back down, standing up a little taller. "I do not have to explain myself to you. What I do is my decision."

"Yes it is. As is the fact that I have the daggers make the decision as to who is daggered and who is not mine."

Elijah took a step toward his brother. "Then do it Niklaus. Dagger me."

The brothers stared each other down until Klaus sunk a dagger into his brother's heart. Elijah gasped a last breath before shriveling up and turning gray, falling to the floor.


	22. Kidnapped

A/N - Season 6 is coming soon! I'm so excited. This story is still right on schedule and I can't wait to share what I have planed with all of you guys. Let me know what you think.

Thanks again to DreaminOfLove22 and Parodychick for the constant feed back.

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><p>"Miss Sommers," Alaric began.<p>

"Please, call me Jenna," the woman sitting across from him in one of the student's chairs interrupted.

"Okay, Jenna." Alaric corrected. "I'm meeting with you today to update you on the situation with your nephew, Jeremy." She nodded and he continued. "As you know, he has been struggling with keeping his grades up. He seems to have been having a hard time ever since those murders in the woods a few weeks ago. I am trying to offer him extra credit, but I don't know how to help him realize that if he wants to pass my class and graduate sophomore year, he needs to decide that he wants to."

"I think he had some type of relationship with one of those girls. Vicki Donovan. When she died, he was heartbroken."

Alaric flipped through the file sitting on the desk in front of him, before handing it over to Jenna. "Have you seen these?" He waited while she flipped through the mix of drawings and failed tests. "He has talent. And I think he could be good in school too, if he tried. I don't know how to help him. Maybe you can help?"

Jenna looked up from the folder. "I will try and talk to him, see if there isn't anything I can do to encourage him to try." She laid the folder back on the desk. "Thank you for trying to help. I appreciate it."

"Of course." He sat back. "I do have one more question."

"Okay."

"What are you doing for dinner tomorrow night?"

Jenna looked taken aback. "I don't really have any plans right now."

"Well, how about we change that? Can I pick you up at seven?"

Jenna stood up and put her purse over her shoulder. "We'll see." With that she walked out the door of his classroom.

Alaric threw his hands up in the air. What was that supposed to me? _We'll see._ What was he supposed to say to that?

"Girl troubles?" Asked a heavily accented voice from the doorway. Alaric turned back toward the door to see a blond man, leaning against the doorframe. He pushed himself off and started walking toward the teacher. "I know what that's like. Actually, I know two girls that actually tried to kill me. Twice."

Alaric started reaching for his wooden stake hidden under his desk. Whoever this guy was, he didn't seem friendly. "What could you possibly have done to get them that upset?"

"That's the thing! I didn't even do anything to them the first time, they just attacked me, but the second time, well, I have to admit, by that point I had tried to completely destroy their lives. And, as you can see, they didn't succeed, but one of them did take something very important to me."

"What would that be?" Alaric was trying to get more information. He got a good grip on the stake, but he still didn't have any idea who this guy was.

The man waved his question away. "It doesn't really matter to you. What matters is that I want it back. From all these years chasing her, I have learned just how much she cares about the lives of others, which, while that is annoying, can sometimes come in handy." He smiled. "That's where you come in."

Everything happened really fast after that. The man lunged at Alaric who pulled the stake out from under the desk and did his best to thrust it into the man's heart. Unlucky for him, he had never really faced a real vampire down before and missed.

The man looked down at his chest where the piece of wood was sticking out while Alaric started backing away. He knew he had ruined his chance at escape. The man reached down and pulled the stake out and tossed it to the ground.

"Vampire hunter, huh? Well, that a shame. I was going to make a meal out of you, but if you're a hunter you probably have vervain running through your veins. No matter. I can still use you for what I need." The man zipped over to Alaric, who was still trying to back up, and knocked him out.

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><p>Elena's phone buzzed in her pocket. "Hello?" she said, holding it up to her ear.<p>

"Hello Elena."

She stiffened. She would know that voice anywhere. That was the voice of the man who had chased her around for one hundred and fifty years. That was the voice of Niklaus Mikaelson. "Klaus."

"I thought you might want to know that I have your history teacher, a mister Alaric Saltzman, quite a name, here with me."

"What are you doing with him Klaus? Let him go!" Elena demanded.

"Oh I will, I will. Just as soon as you return to me what you stole from me so long ago."

Elena remembered back to that dreadful night. "I don't know what you are talking about." She said, trying to fake cluelessness.

"Now, you see. I know that's a lie. You stole it from me and I want it back. Or else, the world will have one less history teacher slash vampire hunter. Your choice." There was a beep and the other end of the line went dead.

Elena stood in the foyer of the house she had been staying in, unsure what to do. Who could she turn to for help?

Lexi and Caroline were both out at the moment, seeing as the sun was not out. Elena decided she would tell them about this little predicament as soon as they got back, but that wasn't going to be enough. She would need all the help she could get.

She wasn't going to bring Stefan into this. He still didn't really like the whole idea of vampires, even though they were now technically back together after she explained what it meant to be a vampire. But Elena didn't want him getting hurt. The less he knew the better. Of course, Katherine was always an option, but Elena could never be sure where her sister's loyalties lied. If she asked her for help, she couldn't be sure Katherine wouldn't just sabotage it. She pulled up her contacts on her phone and dialed the only person left, Damon Salvatore.

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><p>Lexi had always loved the peacefulness of the forest. She roamed around and listened to the crickets singing in the night. It was beautiful really.<p>

But, as beautiful things tend to do, it didn't last. A sudden quiet fell over the forest, like the world was waiting for something. Holding it's breath. Lexi sat up from where she had been sitting against a tree and looked around, straining to hear or see anything. A few branches cracked to her right and she whirled around, standing up while doing so. There seemed to be nothing there.

She held as still as she could. And then she heard it. It was a low growling sound. She faced the direction it was coming from. Right there in front of her was a wolf, staring her down. She knew she was a vampire, and that it couldn't permanently harm her, but her instincts were telling her to run. So she ran.

She zipped through the forest, the wolf fast on her tail. Too fast. Supernaturally fast. And there had been something about the way it had stared at her that had seemed almost, human.

Before she knew it she was at the Salvatore house. She had been invited in a few weeks ago when Elena had called her, asking for her help in explaining everything to Caroline and the Salvatore brothers. She ran in through the front door and locked it behind her. She didn't see the wolf anymore, but she didn't want to take any chances. Over her many years, she had learned to trust her instincts, and her instincts were telling her that that had not been just an ordinary wolf.

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><p>Caroline had told her mother that she needed to work some things out by herself and left home a few weeks ago. Now, she was staying with Elena and Lexi at Elena's house, seeing as she didn't have any daylight ring and they didn't know of any witches willing to do the spell. It hadn't technically been a lie. Caroline <em>did<em> need to work some things out, namely how to be a vampire. She had been doing really well. If anything, becoming a vampire had changed her for the better. She was more confident, knowing she could take care of herself. However, that fact that she didn't have a ring and had told her mother she had moved away meant that she couldn't go and see any of her friends like Bonnie, or Matt.

But Caroline was feed up with that rule. She wanted some familiar company. She walked up to the Bennet's front door and knocked. It was going to be okay. She would just say she was visiting to say hello to her friends, and that she was getting better, but would still need a little more time to get her life together. She knew that was a bit of a stretch, but what other choice did she have? She needed her friends.

After a few moments, the door swung open and there stood Bonnie. The two girls standing opposite each other grew wide smiles.

"Caroline!" Bonnie rushed out the door and threw her arms around her friend. Caroline hugged her back, but Bonnie pulled away almost as fast. "You're a vampire."

Caroline was taken aback. How could Bonnie have possibly found out? "What?" she said, trying to deny the fact.

Bonnie stepped back into her house. "She wasn't lying. She really did kill you didn't she?"

"Bonnie, what are you talking about?" Caroline was hurt. This was the first time she had seen her friend in weeks, and she was looking at Caroline as if she was some type of poisonous snake. "Who killed me?" Caroline decided not to lie. "How did you know i was a vampire?"

Bonnie broke down. "It's all my fault Caroline. I told her I wouldn't help you and she killed you. I had thought that maybe she was just laying after I talked to your mom, but she killed you. And you're a vampire now. Oh, Caroline, I'm so sorry!"

Caroline hated seeing her best friend crying and not being able to comfort her, because she was inside the house. "Bonnie, it's okay. I'm okay. I'm actually getting better at it. I feel stronger, more in control. I just, haven't seen anyone because of the sun. I can't even go to school."

Bonnie looked up. "I can help with that. It's my fault that this happened to you, the least I can do is give you the ability to walk in the sun."

Caroline shook her head. "You can't help. Only a witch can do that." A smile crept onto Bonnie's face. Caroline tilted her head and let herself a smile. "You _are_ a witch aren't you?"


	23. November 10th 1889 (1)

A/N - Hello everyone. So I have my first real OC of this story introduced in this chapter. While I was writing it, I was picturing her being played by Gabrielle Union if you want to know what I imagined her looking like. Let me know what you think of her and if you want to see more of her. I still haven't quite decided if I want to make her more of a main character in the future, or just have her in a few parts. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And feel free to leave me a review.

Thank you to Parodychick and ScarletRose for reviewing.

In reply to ScarletRose: Thank you! Yes, this story will/is a slow burning Delena story (as I myself am a huge Delena shipper). I love the dynamic of them slowly building there relationship in the show and wanted to do that with this fic, not rush into it like she does with Stefan. I am _not_ going to be doing Klaroline, so don't worry. I really like your idea of putting Klaus with someone else, perhaps darker and I agree with you that in this story it is more fun to have the bad Klaus clashing with Kat type of plot.

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><p>November 10th 1889 (1)<p>

Klaus opened the door to the bar. He headed straight to the counter and wasted no time with pleasantries. "I need to speak to Ruby." He said to the bartender.

The bartender shook his head. "Ruby isn't seeing anyone right now."

"I'm afraid you don't understand." Klaus reached across the bar and grabbed the man's shirt, pulling him closer to himself till they were face to face. "My name is Klaus and I need to see Ruby Savannah. NOW!" Klaus threw the man backwards, watching him land with a thud.

The rest of the customers in the small bar stopped whatever they were doing and stared at the screaming man who had just tossed the bartender across the room like he was a rag doll. After a few seconds, they slowly went back to their own conversations and Klaus turned back to the bartender, who was now scrambling back to his feet.

"Okay." He said. "I'll let her know you are here." The man headed into the back of the restaurant and returned a minute later with Ruby in tow. She was tall, especially for a girl. Her dark black hair fell in a perfect wave down her shoulders. Her dark olive complexion and wise brown eyes didn't quite match the deep blue dress that distinguished her from any low lifes, but she didn't seem to care.

The moment she saw Klaus she stopped. "So you are Klaus." she said looking him up and down. "The original vampire. I have heard rumors about you. What can I do for you?"

"I need you to get a message out to the witch community." Klaus said. "And I have heard that you are the woman to see."

Ruby tilted her head, thinking. She didn't look angry or scared, but businesslike and maybe just a little curious. "Why would I help you?"

Klaus smiled. This girl knew how to handle herself. She wasn't going to do anything without a favor in return. "Because you might save the lives of countless witches I might have to kill if you don't."

She closed up at that, about to turn away. "We don't take kindly to threats, Niklaus Mikaelson. You should know that."

She began heading back toward the door she had come through, when Klaus called after her. "Wait." She turned around, making it clear through her expression that whatever he had to say had better be worth her time, because if not, she would not be helping him with anything. Klaus took a deep breath. "If you do this, I can provide you with what you most want. The clues to where you will find what you have been searching for."

Ruby took in a deep breath, clearly caught off guard. She rushed back over to the thousand year old vampire. "If you are lying to me-"

"I'm not." Klaus promised. "I know where it is and I can get it for you if you do this for me."

She thought about his offer with a stone cold expression. "It's a deal." She said finally. "What message do you want to get out to the witch community?"

"I want you to tell everyone that if they dare to help either of the Pierce sisters, they will face my wrath. They can't harbor them or do spells for them. And if I find out that if any witch has helped them, or kept any information about their whereabouts from me, I will kill their family and then kill them. And tell them to rest assured, if they do any of these things, I will find out."


	24. The Moonstone

A/N - So this is the longest chapter I have written yet. I don't really know that happened, but the scenes just stretched longer then I anticipated, so I hope you enjoy it. :) Review and let me know what you think or if you have any constructive critism. Thanks!

Enjoy this new chapter.

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><p>Caroline slid the ring over her finger and tentatively stuck her hand out into the sunlight.<p>

Nothing Happened.

She looked over at her best friend. "You really did it!" She jumped up gave Bonnie a huge bear hug. "That you so much. You have no idea how much it means to me. I don't have to hide away during the day anymore." She held out her hand to admire the ring.

Bonnie smiled. "It was the least I could do." She smiled, like she had just gotten an idea.

"What is it?" Caroline asked, noticing Bonnie's face.

"I think it's time you went back into the world of civilization. Now that you can walk in the sunlight, you can 'move back' to Mystic Falls. You don't have to worry about anyone wondering why they never see you at school anymore. But as for today, I think we should celebrate."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, let's get out. Caroline Forbes, you are going to enjoy this first day out in the sunlight since you . . . since you died." Bonnie said. She grabbed Caroline's hand and pulled her up and out the front door, into the sunlight. It was a new day.

They drove down to the Grill and headed in. Matt looked up from the drink he was pouring as the two girls sat down at the bar.

"Caroline? I didn't know you were back." He said, walking over.

Caroline threw a smile at Bonnie. "I didn't know I would be coming back this soon, but I got lucky."

"I was worried about you."

Bonnie stood up. "I'm just, I mean, I need to go now." She winked at Caroline and headed away from the bar.

Matt leaned in toward Caroline. "Look, Caroline, you helped me out this summer and now I'm here for you if you need me. I just want you to know that you're not alone."

She nodded. She desperately wanted to tell him the truth about her death and new status as vampire, but she was afraid of what he would say. How could he possibly be there for a vampire? A killer. His sister's murderer.

The guilt from that act started pulling at her stomach. "By the way, how are you doing Matt? With, Vicki's . . . with Vicki's death?"

Matt stood up, sadness quickly overtaking any other emotion in his eyes. "I'll survive."

Caroline reached out and took his hand, trying to comfort him. How could she have done this to him? And then stand there and try to comfort him as if she wasn't the one to blame?

She tried to focus on something else. Anything would be better then the guilt she was feeling. She stared at his hand as she stroked it. It was larger than hers, and it would be stronger if it weren't for her super strength. There was a vein that was more prominent than the others and she could feel his heart beat as it pumped the blood through his body. It was slow, constant, dependable. Unlike her, his heart would never do anything to harm him. It sounded so good. So delicious.

"Hey, are you okay?" Matt asked.

She realized what she had just been thinking about and felt the veins in her own face grow more prominent. She turned away from him as quickly as she could. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Her phone rang and she pulled it out, thankful for the distraction. "Hello?"

"Caroline?" Said the voice on the other end. "It's Elena. Are you okay? You never came home last night."

Caroline slapped her forehead. In all the excitement of getting her own daylight ring, she had forgotten to tell Elena about it. Of course she would be worried. As far as she knew, Caroline could have been burnt up by the sun by now. "Yeah, I'm fine. Actually, something happened. You wouldn't believe it-"

Elena cut her off. "Caroline, I'm sorry, but I need your help. We have, a bit of a problem."

Caroline noted her friend's serious tone. "Yeah. Okay. Sure. What's up?"

"A blast from my 's kidnapped my history teacher Mr. Saltzman and he is threatening to kill him."

"Oh wow." She put her hand over the end of the phone and whispered to Matt, "I'm sorry, I have to go." She stood up and made her way toward the door. "What does he want?" she said to Elena.

"It doesn't matter." Elena replied. "I can't give it to him and now I need your help to rescue Mr. Saltzman. How fast can you make it to the Salvator's house without burning up in the sun?"

Caroline couldn't help but smile at the irony. "A lot faster then you would think."

* * *

><p>The front door to the Salvatore house flew open. Elena spun around to see who it was. The door swung shut, slowly revealing the blond who had seconds prior been standing bathed in sunlight.<p>

"Caroline? How did you . . ." Elena tried to ask.

Caroline caught on to the question. "Get here so quickly in the sun without burning up?" She smiled. "Turns out I do know a witch after all." She walked over and showed Elena the ring now on her hand.

"Who's the witch?" Damon asked, walking into the room.

Caroline glared at him and Elena could tell she didn't trust him. Elena couldn't blame her. How well did they really know him? "None of your business." Caroline snapped. "Why are you here anyway? Elena said she needed my help, not yours."

"Well, if you didn't notice, this is my house." Damon replied, gesturing to the house around them.

Elena interrupted them. "Actually, I asked you both for help."

"And me." Lexi said, standing up from the couch she had been sitting at. She walked over to the other three and looked at Elena. "What's up?"

Elena hesitated. "Klaus is back."

Lexi stiffened and stared at her longtime friend with terrified eyes. "What?" she said with barely a whisper. "What does he want?"

Elena shook her head. "The same thing he's wanted from me for the last century. Revenge, and what I stole from him back." Lexi nodded, she had heard the story many times. Elena continued, "I just got a phone call from him. He said he has my history teacher Mr. Saltzman. If I don't give him what he wants . . ."

"Then why don't you give it to him?" Damon asked.

"Yeah?" Caroline continued. "Whatever it is, it can't really be worth someone's life, can it?"

Elena shook her head. "I can't. If Klaus wants it so bad, that means he needs it for something, and whatever he is planning, it can't be good. We can't give it back."

Caroline couldn't hold back her curiosity. "What is it?"

Elena glanced over at Lexi before answering. "It's called a moonstone. It's generally used for powerful spells, as a talisman, to bind them. If he wants it, then he probably wants to use it to break a spell."

"Wait," Caroline said. "If this is a vampire matter, why isn't Stefan here? I mean, he knows what you are and everything."

"I don't want him getting hurt." Elena answered. "Any anyway, he asked for a break, so I'm giving it to him."

"Classic Stefan." Damon said. "Of course he needs some time to struggle with the morals of what it means that there are vampires. Me, I'm cool with it." The three girls stared at him. He shrugged. "So anyway, what are we going to do? About the teacher I mean." Damon asked, getting back to the current situation.

"We are going to rescue him." Elena said.

Lexi shook her head. "We can't Elena. Klaus is too powerful. It would be a suicide mission."

"I don't care." Elena said "I am not going to stand by and watch as some innocent gets killed because of me. You guys can help me if you want, I was hoping you would, but I'm going."

Caroline glanced around the group before saying, "Me too. I don't want anyone to die, and I'm not going to let my new best friend get herself killed."

Lexi sighed. "You really are stubborn, you know that Elena?" Elena smiled. "Okay fine," Lexi said, "I'm in."

The three girls turned to Damon. "You three are really going to all go on some suicide mission for a guy who, just a few weeks ago, tried to kill you?" Damon asked, turning to Elena at the end of the sentence. Elena didn't say anything. Damon looked like he wanted to argue but he must have decided against it. "Okay fine. I'll help you, but not for the teacher. I want to make it clear that I don't give a crap about the teacher."

Elena nodded. She didn't really care why he was helping, as long as he on her side. He may not have been a vampire, but she had a feeling he would still be a pretty useful piece in their rescue mission. And if he was willing to risk his life to help, she was happy.

* * *

><p>Damon ran through their plan again in his mind. Caroline had left to go reconcile things with her mother, now that she had the daylight ring, and Lexi had headed upstairs to get a shower before the sun went down. As she still didn't have a ring, they had to wait till nightfall to enact their plan, which gave them each a few hours to get ready.<p>

Damon sat down on one of the couches in the living with a drink in his hand, before he noticed Elena, still standing there. "Why aren't you off, preparing or whatever?" He asked.

"Because," she walked over to him, "I need to give you something." She pulled a smooth white stone out of her back pocket and held it out to him.

He took it, looking up at her for an explanation. "Is this what I think it is?" He asked. She nodded. Damon looked down at the stone in hand and then back up to the brunette. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"I need to keep it somewhere safe. My house is too obvious, my person is too dangerous, and if I were to give it to Lexi or Caroline, I'm afraid that if something goes wrong they will end up using it to bargain with Klaus, which would mean he gets it anyway and everything we are trying to do is pointless. I still don't really know you, but I have a feeling you won't let your feelings get in the way. Keep it safe."

Damon nodded, telling her that he understood what she was asking of him. "Okay." She said. She turned and walked away, heading out, probably to the Grill, to get a little down time before the big rescue.

Damon watched her go. He wondered what had possessed her to trust him with the most important piece that they had against this allegedly immortal Klaus. He wondered what had possessed _him_ to agree to help in the first place.

He sat in silence for a few moments, wondering what he had just gotten himself into. The shadows on the floor made their way across the room as he sat, drinking his drink.

The front door opened again. "Hey Stef, where have you been all day?" Damon asked without even turning around.

"I'm not your brother. But I shouldn't be too much of a disappointment." Damon spun around to see the girl who looked very much like Elena Pierce walking down into the living room.

"Katherine? I remember you now. How is that? I mean, I know about you, but I can only remember that I've actually meet you personally when you're here."

She looked almost exactly like Elena, but Damon found the differences blaring anyway. There was the obvious difference of hairstyles, as Elena straightened hers and Katherine always had curls. Then there was the clothing. They both had a fairly good since of style, but while Elena's style was more on the cute and practical side of it, Katherine was never seen without larger earrings, darker makeup, normally a leather jacket and quite often heals. But in this moment, Damon noticed another difference. They way they each walked and held themselves. Elena was self-confident, but more trusting and she held herself on the same level as those around. Katherine on the other hand, was always elevated in some way. She walked as if she owned the house and spoke to others like they were just there to entertain her.

"I compelled you to forget me, unless you were with me." Damon nodded as his memories of his secret meetings with her came rushing back to him. He remembered her showing up in his room the first time and compelling him to be her spy. He remembered her consistent visits every night after that for the past few weeks where she came, flirted with him and learned everything he knew. And he remembered becoming increasingly frustrated that each time he couldn't remember her after she left. "Now," She said. She zipped over to Damon, stopping a with her face only few inches from his. "Did anything interesting happen today that I should know about?"

"Elena, Lexi, Caroline and I are planning a rescue mission for the kidnapped teacher." Damon answered without hesitation.

"Hmmm, very interesting." Katherine said, circling Damon like a bird does it's prey. "And what is your plan, exactly?" Damon explained it to her as she circled back around to face him.

When he was done she nodded and smirked. "Well then, something has to be done about that. That is valuable information." She gazed at him, thinking. "I really do wonder what it would be like to have one of the Salvatore Brothers as my own."

"Then take me." Damon said. He had no one else in his life and Katherine had given him something he desperately wanted. She was paying attention to him, while no one else in his life seemed to notice his loneliness, even if he forgot about it as soon as she left, he remembered her now. "I don't have anyone else."

A moment passed. Then they pulled each other together and they were kissing. Damon wasn't sure who had kissed the other first, but It was strong and passionate. He ran his hands up and down her sides as she held onto the back of his neck.

Damon suddenly pulled back and held her shoulders. "Let me remember." He said desperately, "I don't care about anything, I just need to remember this."

She walked around him. "I can't do that Damon."

"Why not?" He asked. "I won't tell anyone. But I want to remember you. I want to know that I don't have to just sit by and watch as my brother gets the girl, but that I have you."

She shook her head. "You're being silly Damon. I can't let you remember and risk you exposing me."

"I won't, I promise. I just want to be with you." Damon wasn't sure where this was coming from, but he knew that a part really did want to be with her. However, another small part of him just wanted to be something more. Something darker. Something stronger.

Katherine shook her head. "I'm a vampire, remember? I live forever." She turned to walk back out the front door.

"Then turn me." She stopped. The silence seemed to grow as they both started to realize the seriousness of his request. He didn't even know he was going to say it before he did. It had just escaped from his lips, but he found himself not wanting to take it back. He had never admitted it to himself before, but he knew that it was what he really wanted. This was what he had wanted since the moment he learned that vampires existed, but he had never admitted it to himself before now because he didn't like the evil side of it. He didn't want to be just some mechanic anymore.

Katherine slowly turned around to face him, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "Not yet, Damon. I have plans for you. You will make a wonderful vampire one day. But not yet." She spun back towards the door and left, leaving Damon to forget what a significant moment he had just had.


	25. November 10th 1889 (2)

November 10th 1889 (2)

Elena stood up and dusted herself off. She stood listening at the door to make sure he really was gone before coming out from the back room in Ruby's Bar. The coast was clear and she sat herself down at one of the tables near the back and let her head fall into her hands. How was she supposed to survive if Klaus had the entire witch community and probably most of the rest of the supernaturals on the lookout for her and her sister? Where could she run? Where could she hide?

Ruby walked over to her table, pouring her a drink and handing it to her. "I will have to do it you know." She said. "Like he said, if I don't he will find out and then he will come to kill me." Elena nodded. She knew what inevitably must have been coming next, but she wanted to hold onto this moment for a little while longer. But Ruby didn't have a choice. "You can't stay here. I helped you today, and didn't tell him, to give you a head start, but have to run. I won't hide you forever. I have my family to think of."

Elena looked up at the witch. "Thank you. I know what you did for me today, giving me a place to hide and not giving me up to Klaus, I know what a risk that was for you. Thank you." In all honestly, Elena had been pretty sure that Ruby would confess to Klaus. She really had no reason to help the vampire, but to Elena's surprise and delight, the witch had kept her mouth shut. Elena could ask no more of Ruby.

Elena was about to get up to leave when a thought struck her. She turned back to Ruby. "Why did you help me?"

Ruby looked startled. It was a question she had not been expecting. She hesitated, thinking about the answer, before she replied. "It's what someone I loved dearly would have wanted me to do." Elena let that answer seep into her mind. From the way Ruby had said it, it was as if she had lost that someone about whom she was talking about, so Elena decided not to press the issue.

The door swung open, sending the bell above the door flying into the air, ringing it's obnoxious tune as it flew back down. Before either Elena or Ruby could turn to look at the new arrival to the bar, Ruby was being held up against the wall by her throat.

"What did he say?" Katherine frantically questioned. She didn't have to explain who "he" was, as the witch already knew.

"He made me promise to get the message out." Ruby choked out.

Elena pulled her twin off Ruby, the two of them stepping back, giving her room to catch her breath. Katherine only waited another second before asking her next question. "What message?"

Ruby took another gasp of air, before glaring up at Katherine. "That no one is allowed to help you. No one is allowed to associate with you. And if we see you, we need to tell him."

Katherine rolled her eyes and stepped away. "Of course that is what he would do. He has no style. Just threats and promises."

"But they are not empty." Elena offered. "Katherine, no matter how much we hate it, Klaus has control over the witches. They all know who he is, and when this message gets out, which it will," Elena glanced over at Ruby, "we will have no choice but to run."

Katherine gritted her teeth and huffed. She hated it, but she must have known her sister was right. She paced back and forth, paying no mind to Ruby as she walked back over to the bar and began serving drinks again.

The rest of the customers must have been used to this kind of thing in a joint like Ruby's because no one seemed to be surprised by all the physical violence, yelling, and threatening that had been going on. Elena found herself feeling jealous of them. They got to live their lives with violence and threats like this as only background noise in a bar they occasionally went to. They didn't have to deal with the need for blood, or the constant looking over their shoulders.

Suddenly Katherine came to a stop. "We aren't going to run. That is what we did last time. I have had enough." She looked over at her sister, a smirk of mischief and brilliance brewing on her face. "We will disappear. But we won't be hiding, we will be planning. Researching. Biding our time for the perfect moment. We've tried to take out Klaus once before, and this time, we are going to succeed."


	26. The Plan and It's Fallout

A/N- Thanks to all of you for sticking with me as I've been writing this and all the reviews, favorites, follows and now this story has even been added to a community. If you want to check it out, they have a whole bunch of awesome Delena stories. And to anyone else who was still wondering, yes, this story is a slow burning Delena story. I am a Delena shipper myself and I wanted Elena's relationship with Damon to develop slowly as it does in the show. There will be much more Delena to come in the future, so don't worry.

I love you all and thank you!

* * *

><p>Elena walked with her two best friends, one new, one old, by her side through the corridors of the empty school. Being as it was the weekend, it wasn't actually a bad place to keep someone prisoner, especially a teacher. They had split up with Damon, who was going to get a dagger from one of Klaus's sibling's bodies.<p>

They were there to face Klaus. It was them he wanted to get to, and them who would be able to keep him talking long enough for Damon to sneak behind him and use the dagger. Being the only human in the group, he was the only one who could actually dagger Klaus without dying himself. Of course, they knew that daggering him would only have a temporary effect on him, even if they left in his body, but it was better than nothing. Elena was thinking that maybe they would be able to drain him of his blood and lock him up, sedating him with vervain so that he couldn't escape and then they could just leave him to rot.

The three girls walked down the eerily empty hallway in the dead of night. Elena made a mental note to her self to never visit any school during the night ever again.

As the girls approached the end of the hallway, Klaus walked out into the middle, dragging a defiant history teacher behind him. The teacher had been tied up and gagged, given only enough leeway to walk into the hallway with Klaus.

The girls stopped walking about ten feet from them, not wanting to provoke any type of violent response.

"Do you have what I asked for?" Klaus asked, pulling Mr. Saltzman up.

"Not until you hand him over." Elena replied.

Klaus shook his head, giving a laugh of amusement. "I am not handing anyone over until I see the moonstone."

"Why do you need it so much?" Elena asked. "I mean, you had it for years long before I stole it from you. How come you didn't use it then? What is it for?"

"Let's just say that I need it to break a curse a witch set on me many years ago." Klaus explained. "I didn't use if before because I was still gathering some of the other ingredients. Some of which were quite hard to find. But I have everything I need now. Except the moonstone. Now hand it over."

Elena's eyes scanned the hall. She was hoping that Damon would have gotten the dagger already. She knew stalling Klaus would only work so long. "What type of curse?"

"Back before I was one of the original vampires, I was still much more powerful than most people." Klaus hesitated, remembering. His voice grew louder as he continued. "But that side of me was stolen from me when we were turned into the first vampires. I don't want to have to be one or the other. I want to be both. I want to be powerful."

Damon had finally appeared in the hallway behind Klaus, a dagger in his hand. He started creeping up behind the Original Vampire. Caroline continued the conversation. "So someone took something from you? That's why you want the moonstone? To get it back?"

"Not something." Klaus said, as if she was an idiot. "A part of me. It was who I am. My birthright."

"Well, well, well," said a voice from behind Elena. "What do we have here?" Elena whirled around and a felt her stomach fall to the floor.

"Elijah?" They had not planned on any of the other originals being awake.

There was a commotion behind Klaus and Elena turned back to see Damon, having dropped the dagger standing there with his head being held back, neck exposed with Klaus's sister's teeth hovering about an inch away.

"It seems," Elijah said to his younger brother. "That these people you have been making deals with are not trustworthy." He gestured to Damon. "This one was about to kill you.

Klaus noticed Elena's face of shock. He smiled. "You didn't really think I didn't know what you and your friends were really up to, did you?" Elena just glared. He spread his arms out wide. "I have spies everywhere."

Damon struggled to escape Rebekah's grip. "Elena." he said and she meet his eyes from across the room. "Run."

It was one word. But it was one word that set off a number of actions. In that moment, Damon kicked in Rebekah's knee and she doubled over, giving him a chance to run himself. Lexi ran at Elijah, throwing him against the wall. Caroline was by Alaric's side as fast as she could, helping him hobble towards the front doors of the school.

Which left Elena to fight both Klaus and Rebekah all by herself. She threw punch after punch, getting one of the in the face just to have the other kick her in the gut. She threw her legs out and swung them around to knock Rebekah over, but the Original saw it coming and jumped up. SHe grabbed Elena's hair, practically pulling it out of her head as she dragged her to her feet. Elena aimed another punch at Rebekah's face, but Klaus kicked her from the side. She was thrown against the lockers on the wall. She felt her head crack against the wall and slid to the ground.

Elena started to black out. She looked around, desperate to make sure her friends were alright. She saw the silhouette of Damon and Caroline carrying the teacher out the front doors as Lexi finally managed to snap Elijah's neck, putting him down for at least a few hours. She glanced back toward Elena, but Klaus and Rebekah stood in her way and the sun was starting to peak over the tips of the trees outside. If she didn't leave now, she would have been as good as dead. The two blonde vampires, the eldest Salvatore and the new history teacher pushed out the front doors of the school. Elena smile. She had succeeded in her mission to rescue an innocent. She closed her eyes, and passed out.

* * *

><p>As the front doors to the school closed behind the ragtag group, Katherine stepped out of the classroom to the side where she had been hiding, just fast enough to catch the sight of her twin sister crumpling to the ground.<p>

"That was so much more entertaining to watch then I thought it would be." She said.

Klaus turned to her. "Yes, well I'm glad we were _entertaining_ to you. Couldn't have possibly given us a hand?"

Katherine walked over to him. "I gave you all the information you needed to take them down. What they were planning, who was in on it, when it was going down." Klaus watched her, amused. "Now, I want my payment. My freedom."

"Did you really expect me to just grant you your freedom from me for just a little information? You escaped my grasp once before, I won't let you do it again."

Elijah stepped forward. "Brother, please. You have already taken your revenge against her. And she has done what you asked even now. You should honor the deal you made with her."

Klaus turned to look at his brother. "And you expect me to believe that you are saying that for any other reason than the love you two shared over a hundred years ago?"

"Niklaus. Don't be mean." Rebekah taunted, looking up from Elena's fallen body. "It's not like you don't have some things you regret."

"I don't regret it." Elijah said, letting his gaze fall on Katherine for a moment before looking back at Klaus. "But that is not why I am asking you this. You made a deal with her Niklaus. She did what you want, now grant her her freedom."

Katherine saw Klaus grind his teeth and roll his eyes. She showed no emotion as she waited for him to decide her fate.

"Fine." He finally said. "You are free to live your life as you wish. I will no longer hunt you down. But only because I don't want to have to deal with my family nagging me to do it for the next few years."

Katherine couldn't help but smile. She was free. After one hundred and fifty years of running, she was finally free to do what she wanted to do without the constant fear of being discovered. She didn't even utter a 'thank you' before she was out the door.

* * *

><p>Alaric woke to the sound of a door slamming and a string of curses coming from the same direction. Footsteps made their way closer to him.<p>

"Damon, it's okay. We will get her back." said a sweet voice. She was obviously trying to calm down the man who had slammed the door, Damon.

"Oh yeah Caroline? How?" Damon replied. "According to Lexi here, he is immortal and ruthless. Right?"

A third voice, probably the one called Lexi, answered. "He is pretty much immortal, yeah."

"See, there you have it." Damon said. "She's gone." There was silence for a moment as they processed the situation.

Finally, the first voice, Caroline, spoke up again. "What if we gave him what he wanted?"

"What, you mean like the moonstone?" Lexi said. "We can't. And anyway, we couldn't even if we wanted to, we don't know where it is."

Damon spoke next. "Well . . . that's not exactly true." Alaric finally managed to pry his eyes open to a sight that would have been comical if it weren't for the seriousness of the situation. Both the girls were staring at Damon as if he had keep a very important piece of gossip from them.

"What?" Caroline said. "Do you know where it is?"

"Elena _might_ have given it to me for safekeeping." Damon responded.

Lexi stepped forward, as if to accuse him of a crime. "Why? Why wouldn't she have given it to one of us?" She gestured toward herself and Caroline.

"Well," He started. "She was worried that one of you might try to use it as a bargaining chip to get the teacher to safety. She doesn't want Klaus to get it."

"Well now she is captured." Caroline said pointedly to Damon. "So I hope you're happy. But we can't just do the same thing again. We don't have another choice. Where is it?"

Caroline looked at him expectantly with her hands on her hips. He looked over toward Lexi in a desperate attempt for backup, but she just shook her head, as if to say that she was with Caroline on this one.

Damon sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you where the stone is, but then _I_ get to do the bargaining."

* * *

><p>Elena was thrown hard against the ground in the cell. She groaned and rubbed her elbow where it had hit the ground first before looking around her cell. It was bare, with nothing but four walls and a large door that had a small, barred window in it.<p>

There was someone else in there with her, laying facing away from her, but she could hear a heartbeat. She scooted towards the other person. "Hello? Are you okay?" They didn't answer. She reached them and rolled them over so that she could see their face.

She gasped. "Stefan?" So that was where he had been all this time. None of them had known where he was, but they had just assumed he was out somewhere, maybe with his friends.

He was covered in blood and bruised all over. When she said his name, his eyes fluttered open. "Elena?" He asked. "Is this a dream?"

She smiled and stroked his face. "No. I'm really here." She assessed his injuries and the pain on his face and did the only thing she knew to help him. "Here." She quickly bit her wrist, drawing blood, and held it up to his mouth. "Drink." He obeyed, drinking what he could before she healed completely.

As the vampire blood began to take effect, he sat up. "Where are we?"

Elena looked around the cell. She wasn't sure where exactly Klaus had her locked up, but it was strong enough to hold a vampire pumped full of vervain. "I don't know." she answered truthfully.

"Well, how are you two lovebirds doing this morning?"

Elena was on her feet in an instant, trying not to show just how much effort it took to do even that while weakened by the vervain. "Rebekah. Who was dumb enough to wake you up?"

"Ha ha. Very funny." Rebekah replied. She put a key in the lock and turned it. She opened the door and stood in the doorway. "I think you should tell me where the moonstone is."

Elena gave her best defiant glare. "No."

Rebekah feigned a sad face. "I was afraid you would say that." She turned her attention to Stefan. "How about you sweetie? Surely your vampire girlfriend who just fed you her blood in order to heal your wounds told you where her most valuable possession was." Elena glanced toward the now open doorway just in time to see Klaus step into it, leaning against the frame while he watched his sister threaten their prisoners.

Stefan didn't say anything.

"No?" Rebekah said to him. "Then I guess I will have to use a more persuasive method with her." In an instant, she was directly behind him and snapped his neck. He fell to the floor.

"STEFAN!" Elena yelled. She ran over to him. "Stefan? Please don't be dead." she said, checking his body for any signs of life, although she already knew what she would find. She couldn't hear a heartbeat.

"That was almost cathartic." Rebekah remarked, half to herself and half for the amusement of her brother.

Elena glared up at Rebekah with hatred. "You killed him!"

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "You and me both know he won't be dead for long. Give it a couple hours, and then I get the chance to kill him for good." She grabbed Elena's face, forcing her to look Rebekah in they eyes. "Remember that next time you answer my questions." She threw Elena back to the floor and headed toward her brother at the door. They headed out of the cell and locked the door behind them.


	27. March 5th 1895 (1)

A/N - I think this is the longest flashback chapter I have written. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you to Parodychick and Booklover457 for your reviews.

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><p>March 5th 1895 (1)<p>

As Katherine approached the house where Klaus had been living for the past 6 years, she couldn't help but run the plan through over and over again in her head. She and her sister had been planning this for years. They had done their research. They had manipulated, planned, and plotted. Well, to be fair, Katherine had done most of the manipulation, but it was a genuine Pierce plan all the same.

The first thing the girls had done was hit the books. They looked everywhere they could for information on the original vampire family and how to kill them. In the process, they had practically learned the family's whole story.

Once they had been normal. Then one of their brothers had died brutally by the hands of the native people, most of which were werewolves. So their mother decided that she would make her family indestructible. She made them fast, and agile, but there were consequences, such as the sun working against them, and the constant bloodlust. And thus, the race of vampires was created.

It was said that there was a tree that gave them immortality, leaving it as the only tree that could kill them, so they burned it down. But someone had gathered the ashes, and now, if you took a certain dagger and dipped it in the ash from the tree, you would be able to kill an Original, if only for as long as you left the dagger in.

Katherine and Elena had searched for the daggers and ashes, but the only real lead they had on their whereabouts was Klaus himself. After gathering information from various sources, and sending in people to spy on Klaus for them, the sisters figured out that Klaus had most of the members of his family daggered in boxes. That is how they developed their plan. Klaus's strange love and hatred for his family meant that he kept them close, and that is what they were going to use to their advantage.

If Katherine could get close enough to undagger Elijah, she was sure she could convince him to help them. All Elena needed to do was get the ashes, which were probably hidden somewhere secure in the house. They could then use the dagger against Klaus, and they would be free from his torment, as long as they kept the dagger in.

They had waited for the right time. Klaus had let his guard down in the past few months, getting settled in his new home, and that was his mistake. When they were finally ready, Elena and Katherine watched till Klaus left the house and then made their move. They snuck up as close to the house as they could get without one of Klaus's lackeys seeing them.

Katherine peeked around the corner, scanning to see how many vampires stood around the perimeter, guarding the house. She turned back toward her sister. "There are only two that I can see on this side. If we are going to do this, we need to do it fast. I don't know how long it will be before others come running from the other side." Elena nodded and got ready to use her vampire speed.

Katherine glanced around the corner and held up three fingers. Then two. Then one. Then the Pierce sisters were off, Katherine headed toward one guard, and Elena the other. They snapped their necks as quickly and quietly as they could before flashing up to the door. Elena rattled the door handle, but it was locked. They glanced at each other, and Katherine gave a small nod. Elena nodded back, signaling she understood. She stepped back and then kicked the door down with her vampire strength.

The inside of the house opened up into a large entry way. There was a grand staircase leading up to the second floor and a beautiful ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling. They each knew where to go. Klaus had hidden his family down in the basement, out of sight, but close enough that if he had to make a quick getaway it wouldn't be too much of a hassle. The ashes were most likely somewhere in his room, or in a safe on the main level of the house.

The girls threw another glance at each other before splitting up, Katherine to the basement, and Elena upstairs to look for the ashes.

Katherine ran down the stairs as fast as she could. If everything went right, she would be with her Elijah and free from the threat of his brother by the end of the night.

The coffins were lined up against the far wall. Katherine threw open the first one, checking to see who was housed inside. It was an older face she didn't recognize, so she moved on to the next one. This time the boy staring at her from the coffin was younger, and he looked much more like Klaus and Elijah then the first. _That must be Kol._ Katherine thought to herself. She wouldn't have minded getting to know him. But he wasn't Elijah, so she closed the lid and moved on to the third coffin.

Katherine gave a triumphant smile as she opened the third coffin and saw the familiar face staring back at her. "Elijah!" she said. She reached in and grabbed the dagger, pulling it out of his torso.

Nothing happened.

"I guess it takes a little time for you to wake back up, huh." Katherine said, half to the dead Elijah and have to herself.

There was a crash from upstairs. Katherine ran back up with the dagger still in her hand. Klaus standing in the hallway with his hand at Elena's throat, holding her up against the wall. Katherine stopped before Klaus saw her and stayed hidden behind the corner, listening.

"Elena Pierce." Klaus was saying. "The last time I saw you, you were a dead body. Just another casualty of Mystic Fall's rather unfortunate vampire roundup. Yes. And I am recalling correctly, that was right after YOU AND YOUR SISTER ATTEMPTED TO KILL ME." Klaus was yelling now. Katherine couldn't help but roll her eyes. He really needed to learn to let some things go. Holding a grudge like that for so many years really wasn't healthy.

Katherine glanced around the room. Elena didn't have the ashes, so Katherine was going to have to find them, and fast. Klaus continued to threaten Elena as Katherine swept the room. She looked under the furniture, in cabinets, and behind paintings. Finally she opened up the china cabinet and there, sitting in the back, was a little glass jar, filled with gray ashes. Katherine grabbed it and unplugged the stopper. She dipped the dagger into the ashes and then turned back to the hallway. It was finally time to get her freedom.

"I will give you a quick death, which is far better then you deserve." Klaus was saying to Elena. "All you have to do, is tell me where your twin sister is."

Katherine laid the dagger down on the table next to her and then stepped out into the hallway so Klaus could see her. "I'm right here." She said with her arms open wide as if to say, _come and get me_. Klaus dropped Elena and turned toward Katherine.

"You." he said. "You, Katherine Pierce, were the one who orchestrated your entire plot to kill me and poisoned my brother's mind so much that he betrayed his own flesh and blood."

Katherine nodded her head smiling. "That would be me." She was quite proud of the fact that she had gotten to the original vampire.

Klaus was about to rush at her, when he took a deep gasp. He looked down at his chest to see the tip of a dagger protruding from it. He look back up at Katherine, realizing too late that her taunting had just been a distraction.

He fell face first toward the floor, already turning grey and growing stiff.


	28. The Trade

A/N- So this chapter might be a little shorter because I didn't have time to write all I wanted to, so I had to move a few things around in the plot, but I finally figured it out. I have loved getting feed back this for this story and have gotten some interesting suggestions.

Special thank you to DreaminOfLove22 for reviewing again. :)

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><p>Lexi paced back and forth in the Salvatore living room with the moonstone in her hand. "I need to do something."<p>

Damon was out at the grill, drinking away his worries and wasting the time until dark. The teacher was locked in one of the rooms, because none of them were sure exactly what to do with him. He was full of vervain, so they couldn't compel him, but they couldn't let him just go out knowing everything about them either.

"We can't do anything yet." Caroline replied, always the voice of reason. "You don't have a daylight ring so we have to wait till night."

Lexi turned to her suddenly. "Then I need one. Where did you get yours?"

Caroline sat back slowly. "I . . . I know a witch."

"Who is it? We never actually got your answer earlier."

Caroline looked worried. "I don't know if I should tell you."

"Why?" Lexi asked, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Because she is a friend, and she doesn't really like vampires."

"But she helped _you_." Lexi sat down next to Caroline. "Please? Could you just ask for a favor and call her over? I have not been able to walk in the sun for a very long time. And anyway, if it got one, we would be able to make a deal with Klaus _now_."

Caroline sighed. "Fine, but you have to promise not to do anything to hurt her."

"Thank you!" Lexi said.

Caroline pulled out her phone and called her friend, asking her to come over to the Salvatore's house. Lexi resumed pacing for another fifteen minutes as she waited for the witch to show up.

Finally she heard the sound of a car pulling up to the house and a minute later there was a knock on the door. Caroline headed over and pulled the door open just enough for Bonnie to squeeze in. She didn't want to let too much sunlight in.

Bonnie squinted in the darkness of the house. All the windows had been covered. Although they had a healthy fire going and some light from the overhead lights, they were not very bright.

Lexi walked up to Bonnie, trying not to seem to eager, but at the same time desperate to get a ring, desperate to be a part of the action. "Will you make me a ring?"

Bonnie looked Lexi over, careful to keep a bit of a distance between them. "How can I trust you?"

Lexi shrugged. "I saved Caroline's life. But I guess that doesn't prove anything, because I could be lying."

"Wait." Caroline said. "When did you save my life?" Lexi didn't say anything, watching Caroline think about it for a moment before realization dawned on her face. "That night on the road. The accident. That was you?"

Lexi nodded.

Caroline turned to Bonnie, who was looking back and forth between the two girls, trying to understand what was happening. "Bonnie, you can trust her. She really did save my life."

Bonnie bit her bottom lip, debating what she should do for a moment. "Okay. I'll do it."

Lexi waited another few minutes, watching the new witch perform the increasingly familiar spell. When she was finished she picked up the ring and handed it to Lexi. "It's done. Now I'm going to go. My Grams is always telling me not to get involved in vampire business and I've done enough already."

Lexi said thank you while Bonnie went out the front door. The moment the door was closed, she rushed to one of the covered windows and tour down the heavy cloth that had been hanging over it. Sunlight fell into the room and onto the girl who was standing with her arms held out wide, soaking in the light she hadn't seen in over at least one hundred years.

Caroline smiled, letting Lexi have that time to enjoy the sun. The old vampire finally turned back to her new friend, a new determination on her face.

"Call Klaus. We are going to organize a negotiation. Elena for the moonstone. And it happens NOW."

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><p>The room was quiet. And empty. He was all alone.<p>

Stefan sat up as quickly as he could, trying to get his bearings. All at once his memories came flooding back to him. Elena was a vampire. He had been kidnapped. Then she was there with him. Someone had come asking questions and then . . . He couldn't remember.

He stood up and peaked out the barred window in the door. There was a wall straight across from him with the silhouette of a window from the corridor to the left lit up against the wall by the sunlight. If he had to guess what time it was, he would have said late afternoon by the colors of the light. To the right there was a chair with a young boy sitting in it watching the cell door.

When he saw Stefan peeking out the window, he stood up and came over, smiling. He reached down and unlocked the door. He stepped into the cell, leaving the door behind him slightly ajar. "Well look what we have here." He said. "A newbie. You're finally back from the dead."

"What are you doing with me?" Stefan asked, then even more desperately, "Where is Elena? What have you done with her?"

"Calm down, calm down." The boy said. "Let's start over." He held out his hand. "I'm Kol."

Stefan stared at the hand being held out to him as if it were a foreign object. "What are you doing?" He asked.

Kol shrugged. "Just trying to be friendly."

Stefan watched Kol, trying to get a read on him, when he felt something sting his hand. He reached back into his pocket where he had felt it and found a piece of vervain. It must have been there since his brother had told him to carry it around with him weeks ago, before he had even learned of the existence of vampires. He grabbed it, noticing that it stung him to touch it, but it wasn't unbearable. He knew this was an important piece of information, but he didn't think about it. Right then, his goal was to get out of that cell.

"Why would you try to be friendly to me? I am your prisoner." Stefan answered, now trying to divert Kol's attention as he slipped the vervain out of his pocket and hid it in his hand, ignoring the pain it gave him. It wasn't too much for him to bear. At least not yet.

"It's entertaining." Kol said. Stefan nodded and made as if he was going to say something else, but instead quickly shoved it into Kol's face. He tried to rub it in, hoping maybe to get an eye and then ran, closing the door behind him. To his joy, he heard a click as it locked shut behind him.

He was up the stairs and out the front door faster than he knew he could be.

* * *

><p>They were to meet Klaus in the middle of the town square. It was a public place and neutral ground, which would make it much harder for either party to double cross the other.<p>

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining high in the sky and the trees were just starting to turn color. The clouds were puffy and moved along through the blue sky slow and steady. It was cool out, but not freezing, the perfect weather for a cozy sweater that was a little too big and cuddling up to a loved one.

Damon wondered if the two blond vampires standing to either side of him even felt it, the temperature. They were wearing jackets, but that could have easily been for the benefit of any pedestrians who would see them standing there, out in the middle of the square on a cool day.

He couldn't really help but wonder how exactly he had gotten himself into this situation in the first place. Just a few weeks ago he had been a normal mechanics wow lived with his little brother and spent his free time at the bar, drinking. When had his life become this? He was standing there, in the center of his hometown, flanked by two blonde vampires waiting to bargain with an Immortal original vampire with a smooth white stone called a moonstone for a girl whom his brother had broken up with. A girl he had no reason to care about anymore.

Caroline stood first, being the first to see the new arrivals. Lexi noticed next and then Damon, both standing from the bench they had been waiting at in succession. Klaus had arrived, along with his brother, sister, and Elena. They walked with Elena between the two boys. To anyone else walking by it would just have looked like they were leading her by the arm, but Damon knew better. If she were to make one move to escape, before they allowed her to, they would stop her with whatever force necessary.

The new group reached the Damon and the girls and stopped. Klaus looked at them all in turn before finally letting his gaze settle on Damon. "Did you bring the moonstone?" He asked him.

Damon couldn't help but glance over to Elena. She couldn't say anything out loud, as Klaus would also hear it, but she pleaded with him with her eyes. She begged him not to hand it over for her. She told him how she would be okay, that her life wasn't worth whatever damage Klaus would inevitably do with it once he had it.

Damon looked back toward Klaus. He didn't care. He couldn't let her suffer and die because he wouldn't give up the stone. Whatever Klaus did with it would have to be a problem for another day, which they would deal with then, but right then, they needed Elena. Klaus was most likely going to get the stone anyway, and when he did, they would need her help to stop him. "I have it." he said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling it out. She showed it to the old vampire standing opposite him.

Klaus seemed satisfied in the fact that it was the real deal. There were no tricks this time. He turned and nodded at his brother and they let go of Elena's arms at the same time. The moment she was free she had speed over to the protection of her friends.

Klaus grabbed the moonstone from Damon's outstretched hand. "Thank you for doing business with us." he said. The three siblings then turned and walked away.

The group of four watched them go and when they were finally gone Elena whirled on Damon. "I can't believe I trusted you with that and now you went and gave away our only bargaining chip."

Damon opened his mouth, about to defend himself, but she cut him off. "It doesn't matter right now. We have bigger problems."

Caroline stepped forward. "What do you mean?"

Elena looked worried. Whatever she knew, it was bad news. Like they didn't already have enough of that. "It's Stefan." She said.


	29. March 5th 1895 (2)

A/N - So close to the preimer of season 6 now! I'm almost finished this book so I hope your enjoying it. :) Feel free to leave me a review and let me know what you think.

Thank you DreaminOfLove22 again for reviewing.

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><p>March 5th 1895 (2)<p>

Standing behind the place where Klaus had just been was a scared girl they had meet on the street. Having done their research, Elena and Katherine knew that a vampire couldn't use the dagger without dying themselves, and as neither of them wanted to die, they had compelled someone else to do it.

Elena grabbed the girl by the shoulders and compelled her to leave, and to forget everything that had just happened. The girl nodded and rushed out the front door. Elena turned to see that her sister had already run back to the basement. She didn't really understand the connection Katherine had with Elijah, but she decided not to ask. If Katherine was going to do anything good in the world, it was going to be for Elijah, and Elena wasn't going to get in the way of that.

In the past three decades of being a vampire, Katherine had only gotten more and more ruthless. Elena hadn't stayed with her, but she had occasionally visited, and she knew that Katherine was at her best when Elijah was around. She had no regard for human life, only survival. For the first twenty four years, she had been running from Klaus. She had only caught slivers of time with Elijah whenever they could, but most of the time she was alone. She had done whatever it took to stay alive, not caring who she hurt or manipulated in the process.

Elena, on the other hand, had hidden. She did whatever she could to stay low profile. She had made a few friends, and learned the ways of the supernatural community. She had only fed when it was absolutely necessary, and even then she was careful to cover her tracks.

But these past six years, Elena had noticed her sister had grown even worse. She indulged in blood whenever she felt like it, taking pleasure in the hunt and the kill. Elena had covered her tracks for the both of them, but it was only a matter of time before Katherine would do something that Elena couldn't forgive her for.

Elena shook herself out of her thoughts and looked around. Now that Klaus was dead, she didn't know what to do. Not wanting to interrupt her sister, she wandered around the house. She found herself in Klaus's room. Surely a thousand year old vampire would have a few valuable things in his room. Elena pulled open the drawers and checked under the bed. Nothing but clothing and a set of muddy shoes. Elena checked the closet and there she noticed something. The back of the closet didn't look quite right. She reached back and pulled the back wall down as easily as unwrapping a present.

There was a compartment with a box in it. Elena pulled the box out and opened it up, wondering what Klaus could possibly have hidden in his closet. It was full of files and miscellaneous objects that looked to Elena to be totally normal. She grabbed a white stone that was sitting there. It was beautiful and smooth, and fit perfectly in the palm of her hand. She put it into her pocket, thinking perhaps it would be useful later, and flipped through the files.

When she reached the last file she hesitated. The name on the label read, RUBY SAVANNAH. Elena grabbed it.

"PIERCE!" The yell rang throughout the house. Elena froze. That was a voice she would recognize anywhere. She shook her head. It was impossible. They had just daggered him. Quickly, she grabbed Ruby's file and sneaked out of the room. She made her way to the top of the stairway and caught a glimpse of Klaus as he headed down the stairs to the basement. To her sister. How he had survived even that, she didn't know, but she didn't want to stick around to find out.

Elena couldn't get out of the door fast enough to avoid hearing the yell of pain her sister gave. Her super hearing was a curse. She could hear the sound of Klaus driving the dagger back into his brother and every word that he said to Katherine. How he told her that she was going to regret ever having lived and died. He told her that he was glad now, that she was a vampire because he was going to have a good time torturing her for the next century.

And Elena ran, trying not to let a single tear make its way down her face.


	30. Reprocussions

For some reason, Stefan found himself heading towards Caroline's house. He didn't want to have to face his brother. Not like this. Not yet. He needed time. He needed to learn how to stay in control. He didn't know where Elena was, seeing as the last place he saw her was locked in a cell with him.

So that left Caroline. She was a new vampire. She had just gone through this process. And she was kind. She was patient. She was caring. He wasn't worried about how she might think differently of him like he knew his brother, and maybe even Elena would do.

The sun had finally gone down, giving him some relief from its scorching heat. He knew that if he had tasted human blood, it would have done a lot more damage to his skin then just some bad sunburn, but lucky for him, or maybe just lucky for them, he didn't meet anyone on the way.

He stumbled up the stairs to Caroline's front porch and knocked on the door. Her mother answered. "Stefan?" She noticed his appearance. "Hey Stefan, are you okay?"

He could practically feel the blood being pumped through her veins. He took a deep breath, struggling to get the words out. "Is Caroline here?"

The Sheriff nodded, deciding not to question him anymore on the state of his appearance. "Yeah. She just got back." She leaned her head back and yelled, "Caroline? Your friend Stefan is her."

There was a thud from upstairs and the blond was making her way down the stairs faster than humanly possible. Her mom must not have noticed the strangely fast speed because he nodded at her daughter, and then stepped back, headed back into the house.

Caroline stepped out of the front door, pulling it shut behind her and pulled Stefan over to the side. She shoved him into one of the chairs. "How did you escape? I thought Klaus had you. Are you okay? Did you feed yet?" The questions piled out one after the other.

"Caroline." He said. She stopped. "Yes, Klaus had me. I escaped by shoving some vervain in the guard's eyes."

She nodded slowly, processing the information. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Dead" Stefan said.

Caroline nodded knowingly. "Wait one sec." She said. She speed away in a moment and was back just a quickly, with a bag of blood in her hand. "Here." She handed it to him.

Stefan took the bag hesitantly, but his hunger was just too strong to resist for long. He ripped into the bag and swallowed as much of its contents as he could as fast as he could. Caroline didn't say anything while he drank. When he was finished he set it down and looked back up at her. "Thank you."

She shrugged. "I've been borrowing them from Lexi's stash at the Salvatore's and occasionally Elena's over at her place.

He nodded. "Wait, how did you know? That I was turned I mean.

"Elena said . . . She said they killed you."

"Wait, you saw Elena?" Stefan said. Despite how much he didn't want her to see him like this, and the fact that at the moment they were taking a break from their relationship, he still missed her. He had assumed that Klaus had just moved her to another cell, not set her free.

Caroline bit her bottom lip. "There's a lot you've missed."

Elena hung up the phone. "That was Caroline." She said to Damon who was sitting with a drink in his hand on one of the couches in his living room. "She said he's okay. He managed to escape Klaus and she's going to get him a ring from Bonnie in the morning."

He nodded and took a sip from the fancy crystal glass in his hand.

"We need to let Mr. Saltzman go." She said. "We can't just keep him locked up forever."

Damon stood up and walked over to Elena. "But it was just so much fun."

She pleaded with him. "I'm serious, Damon. I trust him."

"Why?" Damon asked.

"Because I think he cares about doing the right thing, and I think he knows that killing me or any of my friends, or going blabbing to the council about all of this is not going to help anyway. Plus, we just risked our lives to save his, so I think that helps."

He shrugged, reaching around her to grab the half full pitcher of alcohol sitting on the table directly behind her. "Fine. Do whatever you want. I'm just saying that I think letting the teacher go without even compelling him is a big mistake."

She put a hand on his chest, slowly pushing him away from her, not caring that now he couldn't reach the table to put the pitcher back. He elected to set it on the coffee table behind him instead. "I don't really care what you think." She said.

"Well," he said, drawing it out, "you trusted me with your most prized possession less than twenty four hours ago. That's got to mean something." He held out his glass to her, offering her a drink.

She glared at the glass. He slowly pulled back and took another sip before putting it down next to the pitcher. "Yeah, and in those twenty four hours, you managed to fail to notice that Stefan, my ex-boyfriend, your brother was missing, betrayed my trust by breaking your promise to me and gave an immortal vampire the only thing left standing between him and whatever terrible thing he is planning. So you can see why your opinion doesn't really mean much to me anymore."

He spread out his arms. "What was I supposed to do Elena? Let him keep you locked up? Torture you? Kill you?" He shook his head. "I couldn't let him do that to you."

"Yes!" She said. "That's what you were supposed to do. That's why I gave the moonstone to you. Because you wouldn't try to use it as a bargaining chip."

"If I hadn't, you would still be locked up. " He took a step toward her. "Look Elena, I was only trying to do what was right. At that moment, our biggest problem was the fact that he had you prisoner. So, whatever happens now, whatever he needs the moonstone for, that was a problem for a different day. And it is going to be a problem we will need you to help us solve."

Elena shook her head. "Damon, you don't understand. Whatever he is planning, he has been planning it for centuries. There will be no stopping it now. At least when we had the moonstone, we had a chance."

"No we didn't. Not really." Damon said, taking another step toward her. "If he really is as powerful as you say, he would have gotten the moonstone eventually anyway. Probably over our dead bodies, I might add. Now, whatever happens, at least now you will be here to stop it. Without you, we wouldn't stand a chance."

"Do you really believe that?" He was standing right in front of her now.

"What?"

"That you wouldn't stand a chance against Klaus without me?" Elena stared into his eyes. She could see the gears turning in his head as he considered his answer.

"Yes." He said after a moment. "Lexi's smart, Caroline's strong, and Stefan's caring, but you're the leader. They wouldn't know what to do without you. Heck, we didn't even know what to do with the teacher."

Elena sighed, shaking her head. She was too upset. She just couldn't see the upside to handing over the moonstone. He had bartered away their biggest bargaining chip in exchange for her life. After she had specifically given the ring to him because she was counting on the fact that he wouldn't do exactly that. She decided to change the subject. "I'm letting the teacher go." It wasn't a discussion.

She started to make her way up the stairs to let Mr. Saltzman out, but hesitated, turning back to Damon. "And just so you know, it did mean something. When I gave you the stone. It meant that you had my trust. But now you've lost it forever."

Damon sat in the living room, not saying anything. He could hear Elena unlock the door and explain things as best she could to the teacher. A few moments later they came back down the stairs. Elena stepped right out the door without even throwing Damon a glance, but the teacher stopped. He looked over at Damon and Damon even heard him take in a breath, as if he was going to say something, but he must have decided against it because he followed Elena out the front door without saying a word.

The door clicked shut and Damon stood up. He headed slowly to his room, trying not to think about the fight he had just had. It didn't work. He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much, but he was upset. All he had done was what he thought was best. He was trying to save her and she repaid him for that by getting up set. It was probably the best decision for the long run anyway. He couldn't understand why she had gotten so mad at him.

But the thing that bothered him the most was her last statement to him. It meant that you had my trust. But now you've lost it forever. He couldn't help but play it over and over in his head. They way she looked at him, her eyes filled with sorrow and regret but also the pain of his betrayal. That was not what he wanted to happen. You've lost it forever. Was she telling the truth? Had he really lost her trust forever?

Had he blown his chance? She had trusted him with something and he destroyed any chance of him ever trusting him ever again. Somehow, he always ended up there. No matter what he did, something would happen and he would end up standing alone, wishing for something he could never have.

By the time he made it to his room he had worked himself into a state of rage. He hated her for getting upset that he had tried to save her. He hated himself for destroying her trust. He hated Klaus for putting him in that position in the first place. He grabbed the closest thing he could find, a framed picture of him and his brother, and threw it against the wall with a yell.

"Quite an arm you have there." He spun around to face the doorway he had just come through. There she was, smiling seductively as she leaned against the doorframe. She was beautiful and dark and everything he ever wanted.

It wasn't her. Not really. And he knew that.

But he didn't care.

He let the memories rush back to him as they always did whenever she showed up and said her name. "Katherine."

She grinned and pushed off from the wall, walking right up to him. He studied the features in her face. They were the same and yet so different. She had the same eyes, nose and lips, but hers were here, looking at him like he was the world.

He pulled her into a kiss, not letting her ask him about whatever was on her mind. She let him, kissing him back. They broke apart for a moment and she looked into his eyes. "Do you promise not to tell another soul?"

He didn't have to be told what she was talking about. She was going to let him remember. He nodded. "I promise."

She looked into his eyes, her pupils dilating. "You will remember me. All the nights I have come to see you and you have told me everything I needed to know. You will remember it all."

They were kissing again. He felt freer, now that he knew he would remember this the next day. He was not as truly alone as he thought he had been. His lips found her ear and he breathed two simple words. "Thank you."

She kissed his neck and he ran his hands through her hair and then down her back, finally picking her up and lifting her to the bed. She didn't resist.

Alarick thanked Elena for everything, including the ride to the Grill and watched as she drove away. He pulled out his phone and dialed the number of a Jenna Sommers.

"Hello?" She said when she picked up the phone.

"Hey Jenna, it's Alaric Saltzman."

"Oh, nice move. You call up a girl the day after you stand her up for dinner."

"Look, I'm so sorry. Something came up real sudden. I had to," He quickly tried to think up a credible cover story. "I had urgent family business."

"And you couldn't even call?"

"My phone was dead. And then when I got there I had no cell reception for the whole day."

There was silence on the other end. She seemed to be buying the story. "Okay . . ."

"So I was hoping," It was Alaric's turn to hesitate. How was he supposed to ask her this after standing her up? He couldn't exactly tell her he was kidnapped by an immortal original vampire and then locked up by the Salvatore brothers and their vampire accomplices. "That maybe you could give me another chance? I really do want to give a date with you a chance."

"If I were to say yes, when would it be?"

"Now, at the Grill. I'm there right now."

She paused again, but he had a hunch she was just doing that now to mess with him. He was pretty sure she had already made up her mind. "I'll be there in ten."

He hung up the phone and headed inside, grabbing a booth for the two of them. Ten minutes later she walked into the Mystic Grill, looking more beautiful then he remembered. She walked over to the booth and took a seat across from him.

"I'm willing to give this another try," She said, "as long as you promise no more standing me up."

Alaric nodded and smiled. "Sounds fair."


	31. March 6th 1895

A/N - Only one more chapter after this to go. I already have most of it writing and I can tell you the last chapter of this book going to be the longest. I hope you are enjoying my story. This has been really fun to write and I just keep getting new ideas for future books, so I think I am just going to keep writing more.

Feel free to review and give me any type of feedback.

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><p>March 6th 1895<p>

Elena rushed into the bar. "Ruby, I'm sorry to bother you, and I will leave in just a minute before the sun comes up, but I have something for you."

Ruby looked up from the table she had been setting up. The bar probably opened in an hour or so, being as it served as a cafe at breakfast and lunch.

Elena held out the file, letting the witch take it from her hands and flip through a few pages. "I grabbed it in Klaus's house. I think it is everything he had on you."

Ruby looked up from the file, and Elena was shocked to see tears in her eyes. "Thank you Elena. You don't know how much this means to me. He promised he would give me what I wanted, but he never did. He just kept holding it over my head. And now here it is."

Elena still didn't understand what exactly Ruby was talking about, but she said she was welcome all the same.

Ruby blinked the tears away. "Wait here for a moment." she said, running to the back room. A moment later she came out with a large book in her hands. She pulled a rather beautiful ring off one of her fingers and placed it on the counter.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked, not understanding the witch's strange behavior.

Ruby threw a quick glance up at Elena. "I am giving you a gift. You have found this," she nodded toward the file, "for me, so I am making something for you." She didn't give any more explanation than that, so Elena didn't ask.

She watched as the witch started chanting. Elena glanced towards the window as the first rays of the morning peaked through. She leaned back, so as to avoid the light, which now shown directly on the ring.

Ruby continued chanting for another moment before stopping abruptly. She opened her eyes and grabbed the ring, holding it out for Elena.

Elena took it and put it on, holding it out to admire it. "Thank you, but I still don't understand what you did-" Ruby threw the curtains over the window back, letting the sunlight shine directly on Elena. Elena flinched in expectation of the burning heat of the sun, but it didn't come. She gave Ruby a questioning look, before looking down again at the ring. "It lets me walk in the sun?" She asked.

Ruby nodded. "It was the only way I could think of to repay you for what you have done for me." Ruby smiled and Elena returned the favor.

"Thank you, Ruby." Elena said. She jumped up and gave the witch the biggest hug she could, without hurting her.

"No," she replied. "Thank you. Now, get your butt out of her and on run again while Klaus thinks you are still trapped by the sun."

Elena nodded and gave Ruby one last smile before pushing the door open and stepping into the sunlight for the first time in thirty two years.

_And Katherine is probably locked up somewhere being tortured by Klaus._ The thought had crept into Elena's mind before she could stop it. The guilt of leaving her sister there weaved its way through every inch of her body. She knew there was nothing she could do. Katherine was Klaus's now, and if Elena didn't put as much distance between herself and him, she would be also. _Perhaps it would be better,_ Elena tried to tell herself. If Klaus had Katherine, she wouldn't be out terrorizing the world. But it wasn't right and Elena knew it. She didn't want to have to deal with the heavy feeling in her heart. If she continued like this, she would end up going back for her sister and get herself killed or captured in the process.

The thought had crossed her mind a few times before in the past three decades, but she had never seriously considered it like this before. The only way she was going to run and survive, was if she flipped off her humanity switch. She had no choice.

Elena closed her eyes and said an, "I'm sorry," to no one in particular and switched off her feelings.


	32. An Origin Story

A/N - So here you guys go. The final chapter of book two. It turned out even longer then I expected but I didn't want to cut any of it out so I hope you enjoy it. :) This has been so much fun to write (yes, I know I have said that too many times before, but it's true). I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am.

Thank you for all your reviews and continued support. Another shout out to DreaminOfLove22 for another review.

I love you all! Enjoy.

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><p>It had been weeks without anything new. Ever since they gave the moonstone to Klaus, Elena had been sure he would make his move, but so far everything had been silent. As much as she wanted to think that that was a positive thing, she knew better. He was planning something, and it would only be a matter of time now until he enacted it.<p>

Caroline had gotten Bonnie to make Stefan a daylight ring. For a new witch, Bonnie was getting an awful lot of practice in that department. Stefan was still living at the Salvatore Boarding house with his brother and Lexi, although now it had the added bonus of having a fully stocked blood bank in the basement for Lexi. Stefan decided he didn't want the human blood and opted for hunting for animal blood instead. For a new vampire, he was doing fairly well. However, Elena suspected that was much owed to the teaching talents of a one Caroline Forbes. Caroline had been helping Stefan with the whole transition, and Elena guess that it probably helped that they had known each other for all their lives.

Lexi had been caught up in research, determined to figure out what Klaus was doing. She had searched everywhere on the internet and had been spending entire days in the library, looking through old books.

Elena couldn't blame her. It had been bothering them all that it had been so silent for the past few weeks. They had expected something to happen now that Klaus had the moonstone, but the only remotely interesting thing on that front was the fact that Rebekah had joined the Mystic High Student Body. However, Elena suspected that this was against her older brother's better judgment. Elena had tried to question her the first day she was there, but it soon became clear that they weren't going to get any information from her.

So they had done their best to go about their daily routines as best they could. Elena, Stefan, Caroline and Bonnie headed to school each morning. After school, Caroline and Stefan would head to the woods to chase down a small animal or two, or they would head over to a party somewhere to practice compulsion by forcing unsuspecting victims to give up their alcohol. Lexi continued to spend her days in the library and Damon headed out to his job as a mechanic, before occasionally heading to the Grill after he got off for a drink.

On this particular afternoon, Elena head over to the Salvatore boarding house, hoping to say hi to Lexi before she made her daily trip to the library. She didn't even bother to knock anymore and headed into the living room.

"Elena?" It was Stefan. Elena couldn't help but smile at the sight of her ex-boyfriend. He looked different as a vampire. More careful and dangerous, but he still had an air of caring and worry about him that carried over from his human self. She hadn't seen him much over the past few weeks. He had asked for space from her during his transition especially since they were still technically broken up.

Elena turned to face him straight on. "Stefan. How are you doing?" It wasn't really fair of her to ask that question and she knew it. It was just the first thing that popped into her head. A simple question that people would ask when they were trying to make polite conversation. If she had really wanted a rundown on how he had been doing for the past few weeks, she should have asked how he was handling the transition or if he was getting any more used to his newfound abilities.

"Fine." he replied. An equally polite but totally pointless answer. It was what you said when you obviously weren't fine but didn't want to go into the details of why at that moment.

Elena bit her lip and nodded, not quite sure what to say. Then she remembered why she had come there in the first place. "Is Lexi here?" she asked.

"No, she just left." Elena nodded again and turned to leave but Stefan called her name. "Elena, we need to talk." She looked down at the carpet. She knew they needed to address whatever was between them, but she had been putting it off, waiting for Stefan to make the first move. And now he had, and she didn't feel ready, but she turned around anyway, and let out a sigh. "I know." She walked over to the couch and sat down across from him.

Stefan sat back down and took a deep breath. "Elena." He began. "I'm sorry. I know I have been avoiding you for a while now and I never really gave you an explanation for that." He paused again, before letting his words tumble out, one after the other. "When I first found out about you I was just shocked and needed some time and then you explained all about how it happened and what it meant, what types of things were legends and myths and what was actual fact.

"Then I got kidnapped and turned and when I escaped I didn't know you were out and safe so I ran to Caroline. You have to understand I have known Caroline my whole life. It's not that I didn't trust you it's just that I knew how good she was at things like this and how good she was at being a vampire, and I didn't know where else to go." He stopped for a moment and looked up at her, begging her to understand. "But I am in _no way_ over you. I need you to know that." Elena sucked in a breath. "Every day I spent with Caroline recently I kept finding myself thinking of you more and more. I never really stopped loving you. When we broke up it was because I needed some space, and I did, but it's been almost a month now. You have given me more than enough time, and I've finally come to realise that you are the one I want." He reached across the coffee table and took her hand. "I can't keep my mind off of you. No matter how much I try to distract myself by chasing bunnies through the forest.

"I thought I was doing you a favor somehow, by not being with you. That I was keeping you from the pain and annoyance of having to help me with every little thing while learning to being a vampire, but I see now how that makes no sense. I need you, and now I'm going to fight for you." He finally reached the end of his speech and watched her expectantly, waiting to see how she would respond.

Elena slowly let out the breath she had been holding, trying to process what he had just said. She found herself smiling. "Stefan, you don't have to fight for me. I'm already yours. I have been yours since the day I laid eyes on you. I can't stop thinking about you either. But I knew you wanted your space so I obliged, but if you want to be together, then there is nothing keeping us apart." A smile grew on Stefan's face. "I have always loved you." she said. She leaned across the table pulling his hands toward hers and he leaned forward to meet her. Their lips locked, and suddenly all the tension and strange silences that had been between then fell away, a distant memory.

When they pulled away, they were both smiling widely and holding hands from across the table. "So is it official then?" Stefan said, a lighthearted laugh pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Is what official?" Elena asked.

"That you're my girlfriend again."

She laughed and smiled wide, nodding. "Yes. It's official."

* * *

><p>Lexi sat in the library, flipping through another book, trying to find a clue to Klaus's plan. She slammed it shut and set it down on the table with a sigh. Whoever wrote that book obviously had never even met a vampire in his life. He wasn't going to be much help.<p>

She stood up and headed over to the shelves. She pulled another book down.

**_Myths and Legends of the Original Discoverers of America: The Vikings in the New World._**

Lexi rolled her eyes. Whoever was writing this book obviously had way too much time on their hands. The title was long enough to be a book all by itself. Lexi flipped it open anyway. From what she had gathered, the Original family had been alive for about a thousand years which put them around 1014 BC. This book was the right time period. And although no one could confirm it, Lexi was pretty sure the Originals had come from America. Which meant this book was the right place. And the Viking thing, okay, well that was just Lexi's guess.

She scanned the pages and a named popped out at her. _Niklaus._ She stopped and turned to start at the beginning of the story.

**_Niklaus the Hybrid: The Origin of Werewolf and Vampire Stories_**

Lexi couldn't help but roll her eyes again. They really need more creative titles, but this one had caught her eye anyway.

_The Native people to the land where a man named Michael had chosen to live had a dark secret. Every full moon they would transform into beasts and run wild. Michael and his family as well as the rest of the villagers lived in peace with the natives and every full moon they would take shelter in nearby caves._

_However, it was rumored that Michael's wife had an affair with one of the natives. Another son was born by the name of Niklaus. He was raised by Michael and grew up with the rest of his children, but he was never really his son._

_Years later, Niklaus and one of his younger brothers snuck out to watch the natives change into beasts on the full moon. The youngest son was killed._

_In love for her other children, their mother, whom was a witch, created a spell to ensure that her children would not be killed by anything ever again. She gave them immortality, speed, strength and agility, but because nature demanded a balance, there were unexpected side effects. They needed to feed on human blood to live and could not walk around during the daytime._

_When Niklaus first killed, it triggered the beast inside of him that had been passed down from his real father. The witch mother saw this as an abomination. She believed that no one being should be allowed to have that much power. So, she put a curse on her son to keep his inherited beastly gene dormant. She sealed this curse with a moonstone, the full moon, and the blood the girl that both Niklaus and his brother loved._

_It is said that to this day he searches for a way to undo this curse and become the Hybrid he was meant to be._

_Many historians cite this extremely old Viking's tale as the origin story for not one, but two different well known mythical creatures that we refer to in today's day as vampires and werewolves. Whether or not this story is truly the first of its' kind and the inspiration for how we view these creatures today, is to be debated, but it the first account we can find of either of them. Throughout history, vampire and werewolf stories have shared common ideas and themes such as the full moon transformation for werewolves and blood drinking and inability to walk in sunlight for vampires. Could this Viking story from the turn of the 9th century have truly been where all the other stories gotten their inspiration?_

Lexi put the book down. Werewolves? She had only heard rumors about them. They weren't supposed to exist, but to be fair, neither were vampires. She suddenly remembered the night she had seen that wolf in the forest. It had seemed more . . . human than normal and there was something about it that had really creped her out. And, if she remembered correctly, that night had been a full moon.

But if werewolves were real, and the story was a little more than a story . . . All the pieces seemed to fall into place. This was why he hasn't done the spell yet. He was waiting for the next full moon. He was going to break the curse set on him by his mother. He was going to become a true hybrid.

* * *

><p>Damon was sitting at the bar in the Mystic Grill minding his own business when someone pulled up a chair next to him.<p>

"Hello teacher." He said as he usually did whenever Alaric dared to think it was okay for him to sit and drink with the Eldest Salvatore brother. The first time the teacher had pulled up a chair next to him, his first thought was that he was crazy. Damon had kept him locked up in his house for a full day, so why was he coming over to buy a drink with him? But Alaric didn't seem at all angry or frightened. Instead he was curious. He would buy Damon a drink in exchange for information about Vampires, the Council, and Elena and her gang of friends. Damon had obliged, not seeing the harm if Elena herself said she trusted him.

But the next day, Alaric was back. He had more questions and Damon did his best to supply the answers he knew. Soon Alaric ran out of questions, as he quickly got all caught up on exactly everything that had happened in the past few months. He then told Damon about how his wife had been killed by a vampire a few years back, and ever since then he had been hunting them, trying to find the one that had killed her. It became a regular occurrence. They would meet in the afternoon at the Grill for drinks and then tell everything about their days.

"Hello Damon." Alaric responded to Damon's greeting. He ordered two drinks and let his face fall into his hands.

"Rough day?" Damon asked.

Alaric groaned and nodded before picking his head back up. "Too many papers to grade and then one of my students decided to give me a hard time and now I just found out Jenna had to cancel on our date tonight because of some family thing she promised her sister she would go to."

Damon raised his eyebrows. "So you _are_ dating now?" He asked, trying to clarify.

Alaric gave Damon a look that said, _what do you think I just said?_ "Of course we are dating."

Damon put up his hands in surrender. "Okay okay, I was just trying to make sure. You know how some women are. If you don't explicitly state it, they can never be sure."

Alaric glared at Damon. "We're dating." He said with no amount of questioning in his voice.

Damon's cell buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. The caller ID said, _Lexi._ Curious, he answered the phone.

"Damon, I just figured it out. I need you to meet me and the rest at your house in ten. And bring the teacher with you."

* * *

><p>Damon rushed through the front door to his own house, closely followed by Alaric. "What do we know?" He asked, desperate for any new piece of news regarding Klaus the resident Original of Mystic Falls.<p>

"Good, everybody's here." Lexi said, standing in a circle of Caroline, Stefan, and Elena, who quickly parted to make room for the two newest arrivals.

Elena stepped forward. "Lexi, what is this about? What did you find out?"

Lexi held up a book. "It's all in here. The story of the origin of vampires and who Klaus and his family really are . . . and how he is part werewolf."

Damon snorted. "Werewolf? Werewolves don't exist."

Lexi shrugged. "You would have said the same thing for vampires a few months ago."

"Wait." Caroline said. "Klaus is _part werewolf_?"

Lexi nodded. "I did as much research on werewolves that I could in the past hour, but from what I have read, their bite can be deadly to vampires. I'm not sure how exactly you become a werewolf, but based on the story of Klaus, it seems like it is more of a genetic thing. But when his mother turned both him and all his siblings into vampires, it made it him even more powerful than either vampires or werewolves separate. So she put a curse on him that kept his werewolf side dormant. This curse was bound by a full moon, the _moonstone,_ and a sacrifice. He would need at least all those things in order to break it, probably more than one i the sacrifice department."

"Isn't it a full moon tonight?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, it is." Alaric replied. They all turned to him. "What? I overheard one of the science teachers saying something about it in school today."

"Great." Elena said. "So now that he has the moonstone," She threw a pointed look over at Damon, "He has everything he needs. He is going to break it tonight."

"But a spell like that would need a considerable amount of power for perform." Lexi said. "Somewhere magical or significant to the supernatural world."

Elena took a deep breath. "I think I know where."

* * *

><p>The gang of six snuck up the hill toward the spot where a hundred witches had been brutally murdered over one hundred years ago. The sun was already hovering near the horizon, about to disappear from the sky for another night and leave the world behind cold and dark.<p>

They hid behind a few bushes, looking out into the clearing. Elena had been right. Klaus stood there making preparations for the spell and waiting for the moon to be full. There was another woman, a witch from the look of her, probably some poor person who Klaus had threatened into doing the spell for him. Then there were Klaus's siblings, each guarding a single captive.

Alaric adjusted the branches hanging in front of him in order to get a better look at the captives. Upon seeing the first, he took a sharp breath. He stared, captivated by a face he never thought he would see again. She looked that same as when he had last seen her, but instead of the soft, kind look on her face it was blank. It was impossible for her to even be alive. He had seen her die. And then it all came together in his head. She hadn't been killed, she had been turned. He shook his head, his eyes starting to tear up. "Isobel." He whispered to himself, longing for her to look his way so he could see her face again.

Damon noticed his drinking buddy's face and clapped him on the back. "Hey, you okay buddy?" He asked, nothing but genuine concern in his voice.

Alaric quickly blinked away tears, and nodded. There was no use in letting his emotions get in the way now.

Alaric got a good look at the second captive when Klaus walked over to him and forced him to stand. It was a familiar face. Alaric searched his memories before remembering where he had seen the man before. He had meet him at the Mystic Grill a few weeks before. The man had introduced himself as Mason Lockwood.

But the third captive was the one that he just couldn't wrap his mind around. She was identical to Elena, right down to the straight brunette hair and doe eyes. Alaric's first thought was Katherine, who he had learned was her identical twin sister, but when he glanced over at Elena, she was as shocked as he was. It wasn't Katherine.

The group crept closer, and soon Alaric was able to hear what was being said. The witch was already chanting, her spell book open with the moonstone set down in front of it. The sun was all the way down now, and the moon was quickly rising in the sky.

The witch motioned to Klaus. "It's time for the first sacrifice." She said.

Klaus smiled wickedly and strolled over to Mason, who was being held by Elijah. Klaus grinned and, without any more pretense, tore his heart from his chest. Mason crumbled to the ground. Klaus brought the heart over to where the witch was working the spell and placed it in front of her.

That was it. Alaric glanced over at Elena and she nodded, somehow knowing what he was thinking. Together, the gang of six, four vampires and two humans, ran out into the clearing. Each vampire heading for a different Original. Damon headed toward the witch, to try and stop her from the spell and Alaric ran straight toward his wife.

Fighting broke out all around him as he reached the woman who had been absent from his life for so long. "Isobel!" He yelled.

She turned toward his voice. "Alaric?" She said upon spotting him. He gave her a huge hug but slowly pulled back when she didn't even attempt to return it. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm here to stop Klaus." He said. "And apparently to rescue you."

Her expression didn't change. "Who said I wanted to be rescued?"

Alaric pulled back. "What do you mean? Of course you want to be rescued."

Alaric sensed a presence behind him and turned to find Klaus standing there. The vampire walked around the teacher and caressed Isobel's face with one hand while slipping a wooden stack to her with the other. He looked into her eyes. "Isobel, sweetly, I want you to take this stake, and drive it through your own heart." He smiled and turned back to Alaric, who stood there in horror.

Behind Klaus, Isobel turned the stake to face inward toward herself. She lifted it and in one swift motion plunged it into her chest. Klaus seemed to get a kick of Alaric's expression as he watched.

Alaric was in shock. It had all happened so fast and there was nothing he could have done to stop it. She shook his head, trying to clear it and looked around, finally noticing just how badly their attempt to thwart Klaus's plan had failed. Damon way laying halfway to the witch, hopefully just knocked out. Stefan and Lexi both looked like they had had their necks snapped by an Original. Elena was still trying to fight both Elijah and Kol at once. And somehow, Caroline had gotten Elena's doppelganger to the edge of the forest, but that didn't last for long. Klaus speed over as Rebekah stood in Caroline's, making it clear that if the new blond vampire tried anything she would end up with a snapped neck just like her friends.

The moon was at its' peak now and the witch's chanting had reached a new volume as she shouted at the sky. It was time. Klaus smiled, baring his fangs and then clamped down on the girl. She looked as if she wanted to scream but she barely able to make a sound. As Klaus drank, the color drained from her face and the moment he was finished, she fell to the ground like she had never had any life in her in the first place.

He gave an evil laugh out to the sky began to transform. The spell on him had been broken. Before he had even fully finished his transition, he was off into the woods. The rest of the Mikaelson family quickly followed after, forgetting the battle they had just been in the middle of with Elena's gang of ragtag vampires and humans. The witch's chanting stopped and she too collapsed to the ground.

Elena and Caroline walked over to Alaric and the three of them stood quietly in the middle of a clearing full of bodies, blood, and the spirits of a hundred dead witches.

* * *

><p>End of Book Two<p> 


	33. Max

A/N - Hello everyone! I'm back. I'm so sorry it to so long to post this. I have been really busy with school and now I'm in a play so I have practices after school. Because of that and the fact that my chapters have gotten longer and longer, I don't think I am going to be able to post a chapter a day. I will try to post at least a chapter or two every week, but I can't make any promises.

Also, I think it would be great if I could get a beta reader for this series. Whenever I go back and read old chapters I always find tons of little mistakes that I wish I could fix. Being as I don't really have enough time to reread everything before I post it, I was wondering if any of you wanted the job. I always think it's a good idea to try and get a second opinion on my writing. So let me know if you are interested.

And to the guest that was upset that I made Stefan and Elena get back together, don't worry. It won't last too long. :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of book 3, thank you for reading, and, as always, I love getting reviews so feel free.

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><p><strong>BEGINNING OF BOOK 3:<strong>

**The Pierce Struggle**

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><p>"Here, put her on the couch." Elena directed Caroline as they struggled to get Lexi's body in the house. Together, Elena, Caroline, and Alaric had somehow managed to get everyone back to the Salvatore's, including the body of Elena's dead doppelganger, at the request of Caroline.<p>

They laid Lexi out on one of the couches. On the floor lay Stefan and Damon, who had thankfully only been knocked out, and the doppelganger had been put on the other couch.

Damon stirred just as they finished. He sat up and looked around. "Did we win?"

Caroline sighed and slumped down into a chair, covering her face.

Damon watched her and the others as they reciprocated her actions. "I'm going to take that as a 'no'." He stood up and walked over the bottle of bourbon, automatically pouring two drinks. He handed one to Alaric before taking a sip of his own. "Do I want to ask what happened?"

Elena walked over and poured herself a drink. Damon watched her, finding it amusing that she was drinking, but didn't comment. "Well." she began. "It was a blood bath. You, Lexi, and Stefan were down immediately, and we were no match for Klaus. He broke the spell."

Damon shrugged. "I figured. So where do we go from here?"

"I don't know." Elena answered.

There was a quick gasp and Stefan's eyes flew open, followed almost immediately by another gasp from Lexi.

"Hey Stefan, Lexi. Welcome back to the land of the living." Damon said.

The two of them looked around. Lexi sat up as Stefan came to join her on the couch. "So," Stefan said, "I'm assuming it didn't go so well?" The grim looks on his friends' faces gave him all the answer he needed. He nodded. "Thought so."

"So Klaus is a hybrid now?" Lexi asked.

"Yep." Alaric answered, popping the 'p'.

"Um . . . guys," Caroline started. The rest of the group turned to her. "I, think you need to know something." She hesitated, worried about what their reactions were going to be. "I . . . I gave her some of my blood." She said, pointing toward the Elena doppelganger. There was silence as they took in her words, slowly realizing what it meant. Caroline quickly continued, trying to explain herself. "I mean, she was hurt, and confused, and I needed to get her out of that clearing as fast as I could, so I gave her some blood so that she could make it out. And then Klaus came and killed her, and now . . ."

Everyone turned to watch the dead body, wondering when she would take her next breath.

"Who is she?" Elena asked. "How does she look exactly like me? I mean, Katherine is my twin, so it makes sense that we're identical, but this girl wasn't a vampire, which means she certainly isn't old enough to be a long lost triplet or something."

No one had an answer.

"Well," Alaric said, pushing off from the couch he had been leaning on. "If it's okay with everyone, I would like to head home and clean up. Nothing like a night of failing to stop an evil immortal vampire to sap all the energy out of you." The group nodded as he headed out the door. A second later they heard his car start and he drove away.

"I think I am going to do the same." Caroline said, motioning to where the teacher had just disappeared.

Lexi stood up and nodded at Caroline. "Me too." she turned to the others. "I'm heading upstairs to shower. I don't want any of you bothering me, okay?"

The group nodded and the two blond vampires took their leave.

* * *

><p>Alaric decided that he need to get out. Otherwise, he would spend the whole day thinking about Isobel and worrying about what Klaus's next move would be. Thinking about his wife would drive him mad because he kept wondering what he had done wrong that drove her to become a vampire and turn off her emotions, while worrying about Klaus just made him extremely paranoid about something he had no control over.<p>

He pulled up the contacts list on his phone and called the first person whose name made him smile. She answered the phone almost immediately and agreed to meet him as soon as he suggested it.

About fifteen minutes later, he walked into the Grill, looking around for her familiar face. She sat up and waved him over as soon as he spotted him. He made his way over and slid in the booth across from her. "Hey stranger." She said, by way of greeting.

He smiled, already glad he had made the decision to call her. "Hi Jenna. Thanks for meeting me."

She shrugged like it was no big deal. "Of course. You sounded like you needed a break from something on the phone and I'm totally cool with being a healthy distraction from whatever has you so upset."

Alaric noticed she didn't ask _what_ was bothering him. He appreciated that. She knew he had something going on, and she respected the fact that maybe he didn't really feel like explaining the fact that he had just seen his wife killed a second time after finding out she was an emotionless vampire.

"So," she continued after a moment, "I bet you can't beat me in a round of pool."

Alaric's eyebrows shot up. "Oh really?"

"Yep." She replied, her eyes glinting playfully. "You're the newbie in town. I've lived here almost my whole life. You'd be surprised how much I've picked up about pool."

"Well then," He said, getting up and backing towards the pool table so as not to turn away from Jenna. "It seems I have a bet to win." He spun around quickly and rushed to the pool table with Jenna following close behind.

* * *

><p>"So, what do we do now?" asked Stefan. He looked around, first at his sort-of-girlfriend, then his brother. Neither of them had an answer for him.<p>

"Well, what have you three gotten yourselves into now?" Katherine strutted into the room.

Elena groaned. "What do you want Katherine?" she asked.

Katherine shrugged and made her way over to the couch where the identical copy of both her and her twin was laying. She turned to Elena. "Who is this?"

Elena shrugged. "That's the problem. We don't know who she is or why she looks like us."

Katherine studied the body. "She's dead?" She asked. Both noticing the fact and asking the other question that needed to be answered when you were lived in a world of vampires.

Elena caught on to the actual question. "Not for long." she answered.

As if to prove Elena's point, the girl suddenly sat up, taking in a deep breath. She quickly looked around, trying to get her bearings, before shying away from the window. Elena noticed this and nodded at Damon. "Could you shut the curtains?"

He stood up quickly and made his way over to the window, drawing the heavy curtains across the old window panes.

Elena took a step toward the girl who seemed to just be noticing the fact that there were two other people in the room that looked identical to her. She shrunk back in her seat, quickly glancing at Stefan and Damon the only "normal" people in the room from her point of view.

"Who are you people?" She asked. "What happened? The last thing I remember I was at the store and then some crazy guy grabbed me, saying something about a spell and he told me not to move, and then I couldn't. And then he took me to a clearing in the forest somewhere and then . . ." she hesitated. "I don't really remember anything after that." She looked around again, begging them to explain to her what was happening.

Katherine glanced at Elena. "Wow, you three really _have_ been busy. Trying to stop Klaus's spell? That was rather ambitious of you. How'd that turn out?"

Elena glared at her twin again. "Maybe you should leave." She gestured at the girl. "You're freaking her out."

Damon snorted. "Maybe _you're_ freaking her out Elena." He said, raising his eyebrows.

"Actually," the girl cut in, "You're_ both_ freaking me out. There's another question; why, or how, do we all look identical?"

Elena glanced at Katherine, and then back to the girl. "Well, Katharine here is my twin, so that is why we look the same, but I don't know why you look like us too. That is one question that I don't have the answer to. However, there are a few things you should know, and then there will be a lot more questions that I will have the answer too."

The girl crossed her arms. "What are you talking about?" she accused. "Stop beating around the bush. What's going on? You haven't answered any of my questions."

"What's your name?" Stefan asked, speaking up for the first time since the girl had woken up.

She seemed slightly taken aback by his change of topic and genuine concern. "Max Fletcher." she answered him after a moment.

"Hi Max." He said, "I'm Stefan, and this," he gestured to his brother, "Is my brother Damon. That's Elena, and that's her twin sister, Katherine." He pointed to each person as he introduced them. "The man who kidnapped you, his name is Klaus. He got away, but you're safe now."

"Okay . . ." Max said, taking in all the new information. "So, what is it that none of you want to tell me?" There was an uncomfortable silence as each person in the room would take the responsibility of telling her of her new 'dead' status. She looked around expectantly. "You didn't _really_ think I didn't notice how all of you were acting? There's something you're not telling me. Something big."

There was another pause before Katherine threw her hands up into the air. "Oh for goodness sakes." She looked at Max. "You're a vampire."

* * *

><p>Jeremy walked up to his front door and tried the knob. He knew his Aunt Jenna had gone out to meet with his teacher, but he wasn't sure if she had remembered to lock the door. Apparently she had because the door didn't open. Jeremy reached above the door to find the spare key they kept hidden on the door frame. He ran his fingers along the length of the tiny shelf made by the frame, but there was no key.<p>

"Looking for this?" Said a voice to his right. Jeremy looked toward the speaker. A man stood there holding the house key out to show Jeremy.

"Who are you?" Jeremy said. He knew he shouldn't talk to strangers, but this stranger had the key to his house and Jeremy couldn't get in.

The man pushed off the side of the house where he had been leaning. "That's the question, isn't it? Everyone wants to know who I am. Well, I recently redefined myself. I'm the first ever hybrid." Jeremy started to back away. This man was clearly crazy. "However, I am having a bit of a problem." The man continued. "You see, I tried to sire more hybrids, but they all died. So now, I need a witch to help me speak with my dead mother so she can tell me what I did wrong and how to fix it."

Jeremy started looking around, searching for a weapon as the stranger continued to advance toward him. "Well," he said, "I am not a witch, so I'm afraid you're out of luck." Jeremy decided to play along with the man's crazy ramblings.

"No. But the witch I want isn't going to help me willingly. I need leverage. And I'm willing to bet that she will do anything for anyone in this town. You're just an easy target." The man lunged, his face suddenly changed into something demonic.

Jeremy tried to pull away but the man bit into his neck. He struggled to get free but had no luck. He felt himself going faint and collapsed to the ground the moment the man let him go. His vision went black.


	34. December 19th 1917 (1)

A/N - Sorry it's been so long. I am currently working on Chapter 3, but with school and Play practice, I don't know when I will be able to get it up. My goal is to have it for you guys sometime this weekend, but I can't guarantee anything.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter. I'm really excited for the flashbacks this story. I think they are my favorite yet, but I'm curious to hear what you guys think.

* * *

><p>December 19th 1917 (1):<p>

Elena motioned for the bartender to refill her drink another time. He walked over and poured more of the liquid into her shot glass, throwing her a concerned glance. She had lost count of how many she had had, but if she had been a normal human, she would have been so drunk by that point that she probably couldn't even remember her own name. Luckily for her, she wasn't a normal human, and that came with quite a few perks.

"Hello sugar." A man scooted up next to her. His clothes looked as if they hadn't been washed in months and his hands were calloused and rough. "Aren't you quite the pretty thing to be sitting here, drinking all by your lonesome."

She didn't even give him a glance, but instead picked up her recently refilled shot glass and downed it. "Sometimes woman just want some time to themselves." she replied when she had swallowed the contents of the glass.

He scooted closer and she could feel his breath on her neck. It wrecked and she gritted her teeth. "Oh, come now. Don't you want to have some fun?"

She turned to him and looked him in the eyes. "Leave this bar, start down the main road in whatever town this is, and then walk until your shoes fall off your feet."

He nodded slowly before systematically getting up and heading out the door, another advantage to her being more than human. She turned her attention back to the bartender, gesturing for yet another refill.

The front door opened again, letting a unusually cold drift of wind and a few snowflakes flutter into the room. She still had her back to the door, but her senses were on hyper alert and she knew who the new arrivals were before they even said anything. She could hear their hearts racing a mile per minute and the slight clicking sound of metal against metal as their badges swung against the guns hidden in their coats.

"Don't make a move." One of them said. She could practically feel the presence of the weapon pointed at the back of her head. It almost made her laugh at how clueless they were. She slowly raised her hands, letting the corners of her mouth creep up into an empty smile. "You have no idea who you are dealing with."

The rest of the place had gone quiet. Everyone was watching like it was a show put on for their amusement.

The policeman standing directly behind her with his gun to her head was the one to answer. "You are under arrest for-"

She didn't let him finish her sentence. In a flash, she was at his neck, biting down into his carotid artery. Normally, she would never let herself do this, but that was yet another advantage to being a vampire. She could turn it off, and just not care that she was hurting someone. She could enjoy the kill.

The rest of the customers began to panic, trying to run for the door, but she was too fast. She quickly cut them off at the door. The first one to reach her was a boy, about her age. He looked startled by her sudden appearance in front of him. "Forget everything that you saw here, and leave." She shoved him out the door, and did the same to the next person.

The other officer, who had run to his friend's side as soon as she had let him go, was turning his attention back to her, hatred and terror in his eyes. "What have you done to him? What kind of monster are you?"

The rest of the customers were now cowering to the sides, knowing better than to try and make a run for it, so Elena decided to indulge the officer's question. "I think you know what I am." She said, slowly walking toward him, letting herself enjoy the game without her feelings getting in the way. "You policemen have been calling me it for weeks, but you never really believed it to be true, did you? It was just a nickname because you didn't know who I was."

He pulled back, narrowing his eyes at her. "It's impossible. There is no such thing as a . . ." His voice trailed off, unable to finish his sentence because of his disbelief.

Elena smiled wickedly. "Say it. What have you policemen been calling me?"

He gulped and managed to squeeze the words out. "The Vampire Killer of the East Coast."


	35. Snatch, Eat, Erase

A/N - I feel like I owe you all an apology for the late chapter, so I am so sorry. I didn't know it would take this long to write, but as I have said before, I have been pretty busy recently. However, last night I finally managed to sit down and finish the chapter, so I apologize if the writing is not that great. I was writing it at 12:30 at night, trying to finish.

Also, the position of a beta reader is still open, so if you're interested, just let me know. All you gotta do is read it over and make sure all my spelling and grammar make sense and that there are no blaring plot holes.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

><p>"So <em>how<em> exactly did we get landed with babysitting duty?" Caroline asked Stefan for what seemed like the hundredth time.

He sighed and explained it to her again. "No one else can do it. Elena and Katherine still freak her out with the whole identical thing, so if either of them tried I think it would just make it worse. And anyway, I think Elena is tired of trying to explain everything to her. Damon and Alaric are both humans, so both teaching her how to be a vampire and being able to take her down if she decided to eat someone are kinda not in their ability. Lexi hasn't put down a book in days. She's trying to figure out why Max looks exactly the same as Elena and Katherine. Even Bonnie's been MIA. No one can get a hold of her to see if she could make Max a daylight ring. So that leaves us."

Max thumped down the stairs in the Salvatore house towards Stefan and Caroline, having cleaned up and borrowed some of Elena's clothes. Maybe being a body double had some perks after all.

"Come on." She said, nodding at the window where it was almost dark. "I haven't been out in days and I'm can't stand it anymore. I hate this whole, 'can't walk in the sun' thing."

Caroline turned to Stefan and gave him a look before putting on a fake smile and standing up. "Well hopefully we will be able to find Bonnie so she can make you a daylight ring, but until that time, you're stuck with us." She turned to Stefan. "If we are going to do this, we are going to do this right." She turned back to Max. "First rule. No eating people."

Max nodded. "Got it. Anything else?" Caroline was almost caught off guard with Max's sincerity. The newbie really did want to get this right. For someone who had never dreamed anything supernatural existed before she was kidnapped and killed by Klaus, she was pretty cool with the whole 'being dead' thing. Elena, Stefan, and Damon had done their best to explain everything they could to her after Katherine dropped the bombshell. Katherine, on the other hand, had zipped off somewhere before she could say anything else.

They told her as much as they could about all the perks and pitfalls of being a vampire, but in the end, they all knew that only experience would tell if Max was cut out for the life. Being told about the craving for blood and trying to fight through it were very different things.

Max had seemed especially excited about her new supernatural abilities, super hearing and speed as well as compulsion. She had wanted to try them out as soon as she learned about them, but Elena finally got her agree to at least wait till they could get her a daylight bracelet.

However, after a few days with no word from Bonnie, everyone was starting to get uncomfortable. Elena had finally given in to Max's begging and had somehow convinced Caroline and Stefan to take her out as soon as it got dark.

Caroline turned to Stefan before answering Max's question. "The only other rule is have fun."

Max bounced on her toes. "Okay then. Let's get going." She headed to the door and finally stepped outside. Caroline and Stefan followed behind her. The three of them jumped in the car, Caroline told Stefan to drive to the only place she knew there would be people, the Mystic Grill. Her thought process was that it was only going to hurt Max to be isolated from the world. If she got out in the world and interacted with people in a public space with Caroline and Stefan watching over her, there was little risk of her going ballistic and killing someone, but also the opportunity to teach a little 'snatch, eat, erase'.

After a few minutes, they pulled up to the Grill and filed into the town hang out place. As Caroline had predicted, the place was pretty busy. The group of three stood at the entrance for a moment before Matt, who was working the bar, motioned them over.

"Hey Stefan, Caroline, Elena." He greeted them as old friends, but Caroline noticed that he gave 'Elena' a funny look. He may not have known Elena very well, but even he could tell something was off.

Stefan ordered a drink and Matt walked off to fill the order.

Max turned to Caroline as soon as he was out of hearing distance. "Boyfriend?"

"How did you know that?" Caroline said, as threatening as she could be without actually showing any fangs.

Max shrugged. "It's not hard to tell. But you didn't say hi back. Why was that?"

Caroline thought back. "It's just a little hard sometimes. He doesn't know what I am. I don't want to hurt him." Caroline watched as Max pulled back, thinking through her answer. "Anyway," Caroline said, trying to lighten the mood. "I think it's time to teach you to feed without ripping someone's head off."

The two girls stood up. "Well, when you put it that way, it sounds like a blast." Max remarked sarcastically.

Caroline turned back to Stefan who was still sitting. "You coming?" She asked. Caroline could tell Stefan was hiding something. He didn't know that she had noticed his change in mood and general distance from her ever since Klaus's spell, but Caroline was determine to figure him out eventually.

He shook his head. "No, I think I just need a drink. The normal kind."

She nodded before turning back to Max. "Okay, so first step. Scan the crowd. Look for someone you think you can get alone."

The girls scanned the room. Max pointed to man who looked to be about 25, sitting alone. "Him." she said.

Caroline nodded. "Good choice. Okay, now you are going to get him alone. Lead him to the hallway in the back."

Max nodded again and walked over to the booth. Caroline watched from the counter as the man stood up and followed her around the back. Caroline followed after them a second later.

Max and the man were talking as Caroline walked up. Max turned to her, obviously nervous and her eyes pleading to be told what to do next. Caroline addressed Max as her conversation fell off with Caroline's approach. "Now. Look him in eyes. Tell him not to be afraid or scream." Max did as she was told and the man nodded.

Caroline was about to tell her this was when she was supposed to feed, but she didn't need to. Max's instincts kicked in. She was biting down on the man's neck in a flash. Caroline waited a moment to let Max get a decent amount, and then tapped the girl's shoulder. Max pulled back, running her arm across her face to get rid of the excess blood. "Now what?"

Caroline nodded to the man again. "Tell him to forget this ever happened." Max compelled him to forget and then the two girls let him in the hallway, a bit confused about how he had gotten there.

When they got back to the bar, Stefan was gone.

* * *

><p>Jeremy slowly drifted back into consciousness. The first thing he noticed was the fact that he seemed to be sitting in a chair somewhere with his hands tied behind him.<p>

The next thing he noticed was the pain. His neck where the crazy man had bitten him throbbed.

He opened his eyes to a sight that he never could have imagined. Bonnie Bennett, whom he know from around school, was sitting on the floor a few feet away from his chair encircled by candles and chanting. As if that sight wasn't enough, spotting the crazy man standing over her, watching intently, made Jeremy's stomach twist into a knot.

Jeremy remembered what the man had said about needing a witch for some type of seance. He had just decided that Bonnie must have just been playing along with their captor and his fantasies, when the flames jumped into the air, all in sync. He did his best attempt to jump back as far as he could into his chair and away from the flames.

Bonnie's chanting grew louder. Her eyes were closed and she had her arms outstretched. The candle flames seemed to listen to her commands, and soon burned down to almost nothing.

She opened her eyes. "It worked. What do you want me to ask her?"

The man replied without hesitation. "I want you to ask her why I can't make any more hybrids. I did everything right. Why didn't it work?"

Bonnie nodded and took a second to throw a quick glance in Jeremy's direction before she closed her eyes again in concentration. There was another silence as Bonnie tried to converse with the woman the man so desperately wanted answers from.

Finally she turned back to their captor, hatred in her eyes. She obviously wasn't happy about telling this guy whatever she was about to tell him. "She says the doppelganger is still alive. You failed to kill her for good and that's why you can't make any successful hybrids."

There was a moment as the man took in this information. He seemed to shake with rage. Then he snapped. He picked up the thing closest to him, which happened to be a lamp, and threw it against the wall with a yell of anger. The light shattered on impact, the glass shards of a broken lightbulb scattering across the floor.

"No!" The man wailed. His face changed from rage and pain to hatred and determination in an instant. "She will not thwart me even from her death. I will find a way around this." He headed towards the door.

"Wait, please." Bonnie said. She gestured to Jeremy. "If you're not going to let me go, you could at least set him free. He doesn't know anything about any of this stuff."

The man turned around to face Bonnie with an evil smirk. "It looks like I did a good job picking my motivator. If you're so desperate to have me set him free, all the more reason to keep him. Need you to be cooperative." He waved his hands around. "Anyways, he knows about all this stuff now."

* * *

><p>Elena walked into the Salvatore's living room carrying a cup of freshly made coffee. Despite having borrowed her own home across town, Elena had been spending more time at the Salvatore's house then her own. With helping out Max, watching out of Stefan and Caroline, who were also still new vampires, and checking in with Lexi every once in a while for progress on the doppelganger mystery, Elena had all but moved in.<p>

As she headed to take a seat in one of the comfy chairs, she noticed Damon was already sitting on one of the couches reading a newspaper, a glass of bourbon in his hand.

"Taking a break from baby sitting?" He asked, looking up from the paper.

She nodded. "I let Stefan and Caroline take her out last night. I think it will be good for her to get out."

"Yeah." He said, slowly nodding, probably without even realizing it. "How's Stefan doing anyway? Ever since he . . . turned, we haven't been as close."

Elena shrugged. "Honestly, I don't really know either." She paused, trying to decided just how honest she should be with her boyfriend's brother about their relationship, but finally decided she needed to get it off her chest. "We're still together, but he seems distant. He's constantly distracted. It's probably just the bloodlust and the fact that he's still new at all this, but . . ." she looked up at Damon. "I don't know, something doesn't feel right."

He didn't say anything for a while. "I wonder if I could talk to him. See if there is something on his mind." he finally suggested.

"No, forget it." Elena said, trying to brush it off. She didn't want to bother Stefan about her worries about them and she definitely didn't need Damon to talk to him about it. "It's probably just nothing."

"Elena." Damon said. She looked up into his eyes. "I don't want my brother to hurt you."

"Damon, you know he can't hurt me, even if he wanted to."

"Not that kind of hurt."

* * *

><p>"Elena. We have a big problem." Caroline rushed in the front door behind Max just as the sun reached it. Max looked terrified, probably from almost being burnt alive.<p>

Elena and Damon looked up from where they were sitting. The moment she spotted the two girls, Elena stood up and rushed over. "What is it Caroline? You almost got Max killed?"

"What?" Said Caroline before spotting the Elena comforting Max, whose skin had just healed from the journey there. "Oh, no, not that. A different, bigger problem."

Elena looked up, noticing the third presence that was missing. "Where's Stefan?"

Caroline bit her lip.

"Caroline. Where is Stefan?"

"That's the problem." Caroline said. "I don't know."

"Stefan!" Damon said from the living room. The three girls turned to see a perfectly safe Stefan coming down the stairs.

Caroline zipped over to him. "Where have you been?"

Stefan shrugged. "I just wasn't feeling well. So I came back home."

That didn't satisfy Caroline's anger thought. "Well. You could have_ told me_ where you were going. You just disappeared. I've been freaking out, looking for you everywhere!"

Stefan stepped around her to continue down the stairs. "Look. I'm sorry Caroline. I just didn't feel well is all."

Caroline huffed again but didn't say anything else. She wasn't going to get anything else out of Stefan.

"Well that was dramatic." The group turned to face the doorway, now that Elena and Max had made their way into the living room.

"Katherine?" Damon said. "What are you doing here?"

"Ugh. Not another one of me." Max groaned and stood up. "I've had enough of this for today. I'm heading upstairs."

Max made her way out as Katherine strutted her way to the front of the room. "I'm here, Damon, to join you." There was a silence as everyone tried to figure out what Katherine meant by what she had just said. "I'm going to join your little gang, Elena."

Elena stepped forward. "Katherine, what are you talking about?"

Elena's twin motioned to the people around the room. "You have gathered yourself a nice little group of friends, a few vampires, a few humans, even that hunter Alaric." She shrugged. "I want to join."

Elena squinted at her sister, hoping it would expose some type of ulterior motive. "Why?"

"Look, ever since I won my freedom from Klaus,"

"By handing over your own sister," Damon interjected.

"I have been looking for something to do," Katherine continued as if she hadn't been interrupted, "and right now, joining your gang is in my best interest. You are both against Klaus, and actively trying to figure out what exactly is going on with that girl Max."

"Okay, fine." Elena said. "You're in."


	36. December 19th 1917 (2)

A/N - Hello guys. So I think it's official. I'm not going to be able to update this any more then once a week. Since the last two times I updated was on a Thursday and that's also TVD day, I think that my goal is going to be to try and get a chapter up every Thursday. I have not been writing at all recently, but since I had this chapter all ready done, I thought I would post it for you a little early. Since my play is this Friday and Saturday, I should hopefully have some more time next week to write.

Also, the position of Beta reader is still open, so just sent me an ask if you want and early look at my writing.

Anyway, thanks to all of you guys who have stuck with me. I this is the first of the many flashback chapters like this. You guys are going to eventually get to see a whole lot more about Katherine and Elena's past in this AU and just how exactly they got to where they are today. I really love what I have planned, and I hope you guys like it too.

Don't be afraid to send me a review. I love hearing what you all think!

* * *

><p>December 19th 1917 (2):<p>

Katherine groaned when she heard the click of keys against the lock. She sat up slowly, doing her best to ignore her discomfort, and fixed her glare at the door as it was swung open from the outside.

"Where have you been?" She asked in mock concern. "I was getting worried something happened to you. Then I wouldn't have anyone to torture me anymore."

Klaus chuckled, finding amusement in Katherine's biting sarcasm. "Oh my dear Miss Pierce, I can assure you, there was no need to worry." He spread his arms wide. "I'm immortal. Even to a wooden stake, and, as you learned, the daggers and ash that can take the rest of my family down."

"Yeah." She said. "Got it, thanks."

He crouched down in front of her, turning head her to face him. "You do not look well."

She jerked her head out of his hand, turning to stare at the wall. She knew he was right. She could feel the matted mess called hair on her head. She didn't even have any hair pins to keep it under control because Klaus had been smart enough to take them from her to keep her from picking the lock. The makeup that she had been wearing the day he had captured her had worn off long ago, leaving grease and dirt in it's place. Her dress was so torn and faded that it was more of a rag then anything else, but being as it was the only fabric in the room, she had torn off pieces of it to serve as napkins and handkerchief.

It had been 22 years, 9 months and 13 days. Katherine had thought at first that it would get easier. That the days would blur into each other, but she had been wrong. She could remember every day. Every torture session. Every time she felt the stab of hunger, no, craving in her stomach. Klaus had made sure she was getting just enough blood a day to keep her from shriveling up like an old grandma because she wouldn't be as much fun to torture that way.

She was trapped, starving, and miserable, but she did everything in her power to keep Klaus from knowing that. She couldn't show him that she felt defeated. She was a Pierce, and Pierces survived. She was going to escape eventually, and when that day came, she would make sure never to be a prisoner again and make sure her sister payed for leaving her to Klaus.

"Well," she said, turning back to face Klaus, "Are you going to get on with it, or just continue making fun of me?"

"Oh, but this is the fun part." he said. "Physical torture just isn't enough for me anymore. I have something a little more fun in mind." He looked into her eyes. "Don't move a muscle. Don't want you getting the upper hand."

She felt her body stiffen in the awkward position she had been sitting in. Klaus reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear, then slowly moved his hand to her chin, tracing her jawline.

Suddenly she wasn't in the cell anymore. She was back in her house in Mystic Falls, 1862. She could remember the day. Her mother had told her she wasn't allowed to go out to a dance that someone was holding in town. She had gotten into a huge argument with her over it and it became a shouting match. It was one of Katherine's worst memories. She had hated arguing with her mother.

"_You never know what kind of dangers are out there._" Her mother had said.

This was before she knew what her mother was really talking about. Looking back, Katherine saw that all she had ever been doing was trying to protect her, but at the time Katherine had thought she was being overprotective.

"_Mother, there will always be dangers. But you have to let me live my life._" Katherine said, reliving the memory.

"Well this is interesting."

Katherine spun to her right where Klaus stood. "No." She said. "You can't be here. This was before . . ." she shook her head, disoriented by the past and present colliding in this dream-like world.

"Is this really your worst memory?" Klaus asked. He was the only solid presence in the room. _That's because it's his manipulation of my dream_ Katherine realized.

That night, Katherine had snuck out and she went to the dance anyway. When her mother had realized that she was gone, she had come after her. Her mother had died with two puncture marks on her neck, drained of blood that night while she was out looking for Katherine. She hadn't thought much of the way her mother died at the time, but now she knew the truth. Her mother had been right. She shouldn't have gone out. If she hadn't gone out, her mother would never have come after her, an action that had resulted in her death.

Katherine tried to focus. _This is my dream_ she told herself, concentrating on changing the scene. Nothing happened.

"_Please, Katherine. Just listen to me. Don't go tonight._" He mother pleaded with her.

"_Why?_" Katherine had asked.

"_I can't expla-_" her mother in her dream choked, cut off mid sentence. Katherine instantly knew something was wrong. _This isn't how it happened before._

Her dream mother dropped to the floor and behind her stood Klaus, clear and sharp in stark contrast to the fuzzy dream world around him. He was holding a heart in his hand. Her mother's heart. "This was your fault." He said, gesturing toward her with the heart. "You did this to her. She ran out after you. And now she's dead."

"No!" Katherine yelled, snapping herself back into the present, tears streaming down her face. He had broken her.


	37. Double Date

A/N - So confession time. I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to get this chapter up in time for you all. You see, my family is hosting thanksgiving dinner this year and as I have been in the play for so long and then just had no motivation to write for a while, I didn't start writing this till Tuesday. Then, today my mom wanted me to help her cook cookies and clean up the house in preparation for everyone coming over today. But somehow, I found time to sit down and write this chapter.

So since I posted the last chapter on Wednesday last week, I'm going to post this chapter today, and I already have the next chapter written, so I will post that tomorrow. Seeing as there is no TVD on this week, I thought I'd give you two chapters instead of one.

Anyways, thanks for all your continued support, you guys are awesome. And to that reviewer who said they wanted more delena, hold on. I promise it's coming. I just want to show just how much Stelena doesn't work before Elena turns to the older brother.

* * *

><p>After the "gang" had tried discussing how to defeat Klaus as well as the mystery of Max and come up with nothing new, they had dispersed, most of them headed toward the school. Katherine disappeared and Damon was left alone in the house. He had decided to take a day trip to the bar before snooping around at the library where Lexi had been holed up in a desperate attempt to find anything useful. It was no use. Damon couldn't find any "An Idiot's guide to Defeating An Evil, Thousand Year Old Vampire, Werewolf, Hybrid" in stock.<p>

Finally, he gave up all together and headed home. He had just poured himself a glass of bourbon when he felt a presence behind him. It was amazing, that although they looked identical, even their presences felt so different. Damon knew it was Katherine before he even turned around. "What was that little stunt you pulled this morning?" He said, skipping any pretense.

Damon felt her hand on his shoulder. "What little stunt? Maybe I really want to join your little gang."

He turned around to face the vampire. "You visited me for weeks, using me just to get information about Elena, didn't you?" Katherine didn't seem concerned. Damon continued, "Now that I remember everything, I've put it together. You never were there for me, you were there to further your plan to freedom."

Katherine shrugged and stepped in closer. "You never protested. And just because I wanted information doesn't mean I didn't enjoy our little visits."

Damon didn't move, not having anything to say against her claims. She slowly reached up, about to kiss him, but he stopped her with another question. "Katherine. Why did you say you wanted into our 'little gang'?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed, stepping away from Damon and sliding her hand along the back of the couch. "I have been at the mercy of Klaus my entire life. I'm tired of it. I'm free now. And I want revenge." She turned back to face Damon. "I want to make him suffer like he did to me."

Damon was taken back by this response. He knew, in the back of his mind, that she was manipulative and deceitful, and that it shouldn't surprise him that she wanted revenge, but it was a whole other thing to see her admit it to her face.

But Damon also saw something else in her eyes. When she had said that last sentence, he had seen pain. It was quick. So quick he would have missed it if he hadn't been looking directly at her, but he didn't. She was strong, but she knew pain. Whatever Klaus had done to her, it was more than just chase her around and take away her freedom. He had deeply hurt her.

"I'll help you bring Klaus down. We need him out of the way anyways, and I guess it would be to all of our best interests to work together to make that happen."

She started making her way back to him, smiling like she was plotting something. That seemed like it was the only way she knew how to smile. "Good." She said. She ran a finger down the front of his shirt and back up again. "Even if you're human, I think you will make a valuable ally."

She leaned up and kissed him, but this time he didn't stop her, instead, he kissed her back. "Wait." He said, quickly pulling back again before anything more could happen. "I won't let you use me for information anymore. So if that is what this is, you can leave right now."

Katherine glanced at the door for a second before kissing him with a renewed fervor.

* * *

><p>"Bonnie, what is going on? What is he talking about? What did you just do?" Jeremy's question flew out of his mouth, one after the other.<p>

Bonnie stood up the moment Klaus left the room, looking around for anything she could use as a weapon against him. There seemed to be nothing made of wood in the entire room. She cursed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"What are you looking for?" was Jeremy's next question. "And could you maybe help me out of these ropes?"

Bonnie finally looked at Jeremy. How could she have let this happen? Jeremy was innocent, but he was being used to keep Bonnie in check. "I'm looking for anything wood." She said, not totally with him, her brain still trying to figure a way out of her situation.

Jeremy looked confused. "Well, I don't know if it will work for whatever you need wood for, but I'm pretty sure the chair I'm _tied_ to is wood."

That caught Bonnie's attention. She rushed over to Jeremy, and began to untie him. "Jeremy, you're a genius. This is perfect."

Jeremy pulled loose from the ropes and stood up, rubbing his wrists where the ropes had been. "Uh, I am?"

Bonnie barely noticed Jeremy. She quickly picked up the chair he had been sitting in and slammed it against the ground. The chair shattered into pieces and she grabbed one of the legs, now with a pointy end where it had splintered from the chair. She smirked. It may not work for long, but it would do what she needed it to do. Take Klaus down long enough so that she and Jeremy could escape.

The door clicked open, sooner than she had been expecting, but Bonnie was ready anyways.

Klaus walked back in. "Bonnie, I need you to do that spell again. I need more-" He never finished his sentence as Bonnie drove the homemade stake into his stomach.

Jeremy gasped.

Klaus doubled over and started to turn grey. The veins around his eyes popped out and his eyes went wide, surprised that someone like Bonnie could take him by surprise.

Bonnie turned to Jeremy, who was staring, shocked, at the body on the ground in front of him. "Come on!" Bonnie grabbed his hand. She hated that she didn't have time to comfort him or explain exactly what was happening, but they needed to get out of there as fast as they could.

Jeremy snapped out of the trance he had been in ran out the door after with Bonnie.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Elena asked Caroline again. The two of them stood in Caroline's room in front of the mirror. Caroline held up a new shirt up in front of her friend to see how it would look, but dropped it to her side when she heard Elena's question.<p>

She sighed. "Of course I am. Look, Lexi said she would watch Max, so there's no problem there, and you and Stefan are back together, right?"

Elena shrugged and grabbed a new shirt from Caroline's closet. "Yeah, I guess, but I don't see how-"

"Then it's about time you two went on a date." Caroline interrupted, making a face at the shirt in Elena's hand. "And I mean a real date, not a, lets go try to rescue someone or stop an ancient curse date."

"But Caroline we need to research-"

"Research can wait." Replied Caroline, who was now digging around in her closet, looking for the perfect shirt. "It'll be there tomorrow for you to worry about. Anyways, that's all the more reason to do this. You need a break from the supernatural world for a night." Caroline turned around and handed Elena a shirt.

Elena grabbed it and held it up to the mirror. "Okay fine, I'll go on the date. But what about you? Can you control yourself around Matt?"

Caroline bit her lip. "Honestly Elena, I don't really know. But I figure, if I'm going to continue dating, I need to learn to control myself and better to do that when I'm with you and Stefan who can both pull me off him and compel him to forget anything if it comes to that."

Elena nodded, letting Caroline's words sink in. It did seem to make sense. "Well," She said after a moment, "If we are really going to go on this double date, we might as well find you something decent to wear as well."

Caroline smiled and headed back to her closet. The two friends took another half an hour to pick out their outfits before heading out to the grill. Matt was already there. He must have just finished a shift and was waiting for them in one of the booths at the back.

They headed over and Caroline threw a hopeful glance at Elena before sliding in next to her boyfriend. Stefan arrived a few minutes later.

They made small talk for a while and ordered dinner.

"So, Elena," Matt said after a lull in the conversation. "Where are you from exactly? I haven't seen you around town before."

Elena smiled "I was born here actually, but I moved away a long time ago. Family rivalries and all." More like the founding families chasing down all the vampires in town and forcing her to flee, but she thought she had better leave that part out. Anyways, what she had said wasn't all lies. There really had been and probably still were quite a few family rivalries.

Matt said, "So you are a Pierce, like the founding family Pierce?"

Elena nodded. "Yep."

"So why did you move back?" Matt asked

Elena shrugged. "I missed it. My life was getting too hectic and I needed to start over."

"That's when you meet me." Stefan jumped in, smiling at Elena.

She smiled back and gave him a kiss, but there was no passion. They may have said they were just starting over, but there was still something missing between them. "That's right." she said.

"Only after _I_ introduced you." Caroline said, never one to let someone else take all the credit.

"Of course you did." Matt said. He went to kiss Caroline but she pulled back and threw a frantic glance at Elena. Matt looked hurt, even though he tried to hide it. "What's wrong Caroline?"

"Nothing." She smiled and tried to laugh it off, but Elena could tell she was still shaken up. Caroline wasn't ready for him to kiss her. It could be too much of a temptation.

"Caroline!" Came a yell from the front of the Grill.

The group of four spun towards the sound, Caroline looking relieved for the distraction. Bonnie came running towards them with a confused, and slightly scared, Jeremy Gilbert behind her. The two newcomers rushed to the table.

"Caroline, I know what he wants and why he has taken so long to make a move. Caroline, Stefan and Elena glanced at each other, immediately understanding who Bonnie was talking about.

Matt, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on. "Who wants what?" He turned to Jeremy. "What's she talking about?"

Jeremy didn't respond.

Caroline stood up and addressed Bonnie. "What do you mean? And where have you been all this time?"

Bonnie threw a glance at Matt. "I need to talk to you all alone. It's important."

Stefan and Elena stood up and Caroline turned around to Matt. She grabbed his face and looked straight into his eyes. "You will forget what just happened. You had a good night on a double date with me and Stefan and Elena and now you want to get straight home. Okay?"

Matt nodded and immediately headed towards the door.

Elena turned to Bonnie. "Tell us everything."


	38. December 19th 1917 (3):

A/N - Hello everyone, so as promised, here is the next chapter. If you are American, have a happy Thanksgiving, and if not, I hope you have a great day anyways.

Sorry this chapter is so short, but when I wrote it I just couldn't figure out anything else that I wanted to happen. Anyway, enjoy!

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><p>December 19th 1917 (3):<p>

"But Vampires don't exist." The policeman continued, still unable to accept the truth.

Elena shook her head. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but they do."

The front door to the bar swung open again. "What do you think you are doing?" said the new arrival.

Elena pulled back from her threatening position over the officer and turned toward the door, crossing her arms. "Who are you?" She said. In the doorway stood a girl, probably about as old as Elena appeared. She had straight blonde hair and a disposition about her that said _don't mess with me_.

The blond stepped in, glancing at the dead body of the first officer and then around at the rest of the customers, cowering in the corners. "You've turned it all off, haven't you?" she asked, more of a statement then a question.

Elena glared at her. "What do you know about it?"

The blonde seemed to find that funny. "More than you would think, actually. But it doesn't last. I mean, did you really think they wouldn't catch up with you?" she said.

Elena stepped forward. "Look, If you're talking about the police, don't worry. I was going to compel them to leave me alone."

The new girl nodded. "You could do that, but only one person at a time, and that won't be enough. I heard about you and your kills all the way from Florida. This is a problem you can't just compel your way out of."

Elena spread her arms, deciding to play along with whatever this girl wanted for the moment. "So what do you suggest I do?"

"I don't suggest _you_ do anything. I, however, am going to do this." In a flash the blonde zipped up behind Elena and snapped her neck.

There was a collective gasp from the audience and a few murmurs of _she killed her_ and_ is she one too?_

"And to answer your first question," the blonde said to the limp body on the floor, "My name is Lexi Branson, and I am your worst nightmare."


	39. Trouble in Paradise

A/N - Hey guys. I'm so sorry this is a week late. I just got really busy and then all of a sudden, it was next week. Well, anyways, I think I should be able to keep on time for at least the next couple of weeks because I will have more time after I go on Christmas break.

I would like to thank my wonderful new beta, juxtaposed92, for reading this chapter over and giving me some suggestions. I'm already learning things about my own writing that I never noticed before.

As always, I love reviews and feedback, so let me know what you think of this new chapter, or what you think might happen next.

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><p>Bonnie slipped into the booth where Matt had been a moment earlier. Jeremy hesitated a second before grabbing a chair from a nearby table and sat down with the others. He had been kidnapped and threatened. He had seen Bonnie do something that looked an awful lot like magic, and then escaped after watching her stab their captor in the gut with a wooden chair leg. So, at the very least, he figured that he at least deserved an explanation.<p>

Elena and Caroline threw another glance at Jeremy but they seemed to decide that the reason for his being there was not the most important thing to discuss at the moment.

"Where have you been Bonnie?" Caroline asked again, slightly frantic. "We've been really worried about you."

"Klaus had me." Bonnie answered. The group seemed to grow even more solum, if that was possible. Bonnie turned to Jeremy. "And him."

Stefan spoke up. "Why did Klaus have Jeremy?" Jeremy couldn't help but feel a little happier. Even after all this, Stefan, the junior who had always made sure he felt welcome, was the one who was worried about him.

"For leverage." Bonnie replied. "He made me do a spell for him. If I hadn't, he would have hurt Jeremy. Or worse." Jeremy knew that the man had been using him for leverage. Until this point, he was still holding on to the possibility of the "magic" he'd seen been a hoax. But no one else seemed phased. No one even raised an eyebrow at the word "spell".

"What spell did he need you to do?" Elena asked. Jeremy didn't know Elena very well. He knew that she was new in town a few months ago, and her last name was Pierce. He figured maybe she was a long lost relative of the original founding family of Pierces. He also knew that she was dating Stefan, although from the look of it, their was something coming between them. They were both sitting a little too far away from each other to be an average, lovely couple, and Stefan hadn't looked directly at her in at least a few minutes.

Bonnie began to explain about the guy, Klaus, needing to talk to a dead person about another spell. She told them how he needed the blood of the doppelganger, and they started discussing how exactly they were going to keep a girl named Max safe.

As the conversation progressed, Jeremy started to get a feel that Elena seemed to know the most about what was going on. She was the leader. Whatever was going on with Klaus, she knew him the best and she was worried.

Finally, Jeremy had had enough. He was tired of listening to conversations that only half made sense.

"Guys." He said. The group all turned to him, as if they had forgotten he was there. Great. That made him feel so much better. "Is anyone going to explain to me what is going on? Who is Klaus? Why does he need this 'doppelganger's' blood? Why do none of you seemed phased by the mention of spells and magic?"

The four of them looked around at the rest of the table, obviously debating whether or not to tell him anything.

"Look." Bonnie said. "He was kidnapped because of me, and he has already seen me do magic, as well as drive a stake into Klaus."

"We could always compel him to forget." Caroline suggested. Jeremy wasn't sure what she meant by 'compel' but he was pretty sure he didn't want it done to him.

"No. Bonnie's right." Stefan said, standing up for Jeremy as always. "I think he needs to know what's really going on in this town."

"I'll explain everything to him." Bonnie volunteered. "We are pretty much done here anyway and I don't think it would be a good idea for you three to be here when he learns what you are." Jeremy could tell that Bonnie was trying not offend them or scare him, but she failed at both. What could she possibly mean _what_ they were?

"Okay." Elena said after a second. She looked over at Stefan and the two of them quickly got up from the booth. "I guess I'll head over to the Boarding house with Stefan, check up on Max."

Bonnie stood up and motioned for Jeremy to do the same. He obeyed. The two of them headed towards the door, followed by Caroline who headed her own way as soon as they were outside.

Bonnie pulled Jeremy towards her car, motioning him to get in.

"Where are we going?" He asked, still not quite sure why Bonnie couldn't just telling him what she was going to tell him in The Grill.

"I'm taking you to my house. No one is home and we need a place where we can be sure not to be overheard." She threw him a sympathetic glance. "Your world will never be the same again."

* * *

><p>Liz sat down next to Damon at the bar, throwing a quick glance at his drink. He turned to her, a questioning look on his face. "How can I help the best sheriff in the state today?"<p>

She smiled slightly. "Well, first you can buy me a drink."

He raised his eyebrows, but motioned the bartender over anyway. Once she had the drink in her hands, she turned back to him. "I need your opinion on something."

"Okay, shoot." Damon said, before taking a drink.

She lowered her voice. "It's about the council."

He put his drink down and slowly turned towards the sheriff, suddenly much more interested than he had been seconds before. "What's up?"

"There's been another murder."

"You mean," Damon leaned in closer. They were now only a few inches apart. "A vampire murder?"

She nodded. He pulled away, taking in the information. "And you want my opinion . . ."

"Yes. Look, you seem to know quite a bit about vampires. Normally I would tell the council, but . . ."

"But you don't trust them." Damon finished her sentence.

"Not really. It's John Gilbert." Damon tried to remember the man. Damon had immediately disliked him. "I've never trusted him. He has too many hidden agendas and knows how to manipulate the council into doing whatever he wants. If he knew that there had been another murder, well, I'm just afraid of what he would do."

"So you're telling me because you want me to give you advice on what to do about the murder?"

She nodded. "You don't seem the type to be easily manipulated and you know about all this stuff. I think you are the only one I trust right now."

Damon couldn't help but think to himself. "Well. if there really is a vampire out there, and it is killing people then we need to stop it. Keep the people on vervain, and I'll look into it. I might also be able to get some wooden stakes and then we can go on a vamp hunt. Don't worry. We'll catch it."

She finally gave him a real smile. "Thank you Damon. I knew I could count on you."

"No problem."

"Hey Damon?" she said, now in a less serious tone.

"Yeah?"

"I'm inviting a whole bunch of mine and Caroline's friends to my house for dinner tomorrow. I was hoping you would come." She handed him a piece of paper that looked like a formal invite.

Damon took the paper and tucked it into his pocket. "Of course Liz." He gave her one of his award winning smiles. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

><p>Damon made his way back into his <em>own<em> house, which seemed to be a fact that the majority of his acquaintances seemed to have forgotten, as they never seemed to leave. Elena, Caroline, Stefan, Max, and Lexi were all sitting around his living room, discussing something they probably thought was important, but stopped when he arrived.

"Well don't stop talking on my account." He said.

Elena was the one to speak up, as always. "We were just trying to figure out what we were going to do about Max, now that we know Klaus needs her blood to create new hybrids. He may not know that she is alive right now, but I don't think it will be too long until he figures it out."

Max sighed and threw her hands up in the air. "I hate all this hiding. Why can't we stand and fight?"

Stefan turned to her. "You know why. We aren't strong enough to take on Klaus."

"Not without help." Katherine said from the doorway. Damon was surprised by how easily she had snuck up on the group of vampires with sensitive hearing. He guessed it was because of her age. She had been around long enough to perfect the art of sneaking up on people.

Katherine walked up to the back of the couch next to him. His body stiffened. It was strange being so close to her, but not with her. He tried keep a straight expression, as if everything was normal. He didn't want Elena or Stefan to know what had been going on with him and Katherine. Luckily, Elena didn't seem to notice anything.

"If you want to take on Klaus, you'll need my help." She said.

Lexi stood up to face Katherine. "And why is that? Elena knows just as much as you about him."

Katherine shook her head. "While Elena spent the majority of the last fifty years running, I spent quite a long time trying to figure out a way to take him down. For good. Plus, he let me go. He won't suspect me of trying to make a move against him now that he gave me my freedom."

There was a silence in the group. Finally Elena spoke up. "Fine." She said. She seemed to hate this even more than she did letting her sister 'join' their group. She must have felt that she didn't have any other choice.

"What?" Stefan said. "You're going to put your trust in Katherine? She's already betrayed you once, and that resulted in my death!"

"I believe her, Stefan." Elena replied defensively. "She is my sister and, like she said, why would she betray us now?"

This just seemed to upset Stefan even more. "I don't know. Maybe because she is your evil twin and can't be trusted?"

"Look, you don't know her like I do." Elena continued. "I have known her for over one hundred years. She wants to help."

"I agree with Elena." Damon found himself saying. He wasn't sure why he was siding with Elena, but he did think his brother was being a bit ridiculous. And as much as he knew that Katherine was manipulative and a liar, he also believed her. She didn't have any reason to betray them this time, and it didn't seem to far of a stretch for Katherine to want revenge for whatever Klaus had done to her in the past.

Stefan's glare turned towards Damon. Damon realized that he had just pissed off his newly vampire brother. For the first time in his life, he was afraid of Stefan. Damon didn't move. Stefan was standing in the middle of the room, his breathing heavy. Damon recognized the look in his eyes as filled with anger and self-hatred. "You what?" Stefan asked calmly, although it was obvious to everyone in the room just how mad he was.

"I think Elena's right." Damon said, standing his ground despite the possible threat to his life. He glanced quickly at Elena, and then Katherine. "Katherine has no reason to betray us, and she is our best chance to take down Klaus, whether you like it or not."

Stefan was fuming now. "Damon. She is the reason I'm dead."

"Yeah. And now you are stronger than ever before. You're a _vampire_ Stefan! That's not a curse. That's a gift. You get to live forever and you could probably kill me right now if you wanted too."

"Yeah." Stefan said coldly. "I could."

Elena stood up and tried to get between the brothers. Lexi and Max were watching from the side, trying to stay out of the way. Caroline's anger was obviously only directed at Damon and Katherine seemed amused by the whole affair, as if it was some sort of circus act.

"Stefan. Damon." Elena said. Damon noticed how calming her voice sounded. How sure she was of her control over both of them. "Please." she pleaded with them. The two brothers backed down. She turned to Stefan. "We need her. I trust her, but if she betrays us again, I'll kill her myself." She threw a glance at her sister, letting her know that she meant what she said.

Katherine shrugged. "I want Klaus dead just as much as you." She looked straight at Stefan. "And just for the record, I wasn't the first sister to betray the other."

Stefan didn't seem to know what to say to that. From the look on Elena's face, Damon suspected that Katherine wasn't lying. These two sisters definitely had a much more of a history then Damon knew.

"What's that?" Caroline asked. The whole group turned to her, wondering what she was talking about. The blonde was pointing to Damon's pocket where the invite to dinner was sticking out.

He pulled it out. "What, this?" he asked, confirming that it was what she was talking about. "This," He said, thankful for the change of subject, "Is an invite to dinner at your house. Your mom said she was inviting a bunch of your friends and her friends, which includes me, over to dinner. She wants to get to know everyone better."

"Oh yeah," Elena said, "I got one of those in the mail. I totally forgot about it until now."

"I got one too." Stefan added.

"So she's really going through with that?" Caroline asked. "I was hoping that that idea would just die down, but I guess not."

Elena turned to Damon, a little confused. "You're her friend?"

Damon smiled. "I do have a social life, despite what you might want to believe."

Elena rolled her eyes before turning to the rest of the group. "Well. I guess we should go. We don't want the Sheriff to start asking hard questions about us."

_More then you think._ Damon added in his head. If Liz Forbes caught on to the fact that Elena was a vampire, that would be bad for all of them. Not to mention the fact that now, even her own daughter was one.

As he looked around at his group of vampire friends, Damon remembered what the Sheriff had said about another vampire attack. He didn't know if there was a new vamp in town or if one of them had done it, but he was starting to get his suspicions, and he didn't like it.

One thing was for sure. He was going to figure out who was attacking and killing those people. Their recklessness was putting the people he cared about at risk, and he was going to stop them.


	40. December 25th 1920

A/N - Hey guys This was a really fun chapter to write. I just really love getting into the mind of Katherine and giving her a believable but interesting back story.

I hope you enjoy reading about her as much as I do writing her!

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><p>December 25th 1920:<p>

Klaus had been using the _relive-and-destroy-old-memories_ torture for over three years and Katherine was tired of it. She had hoped that she would build up an immunity over time, learning to keep Klaus out of her head, or at least have enough control to remember that what she was seeing was just a dream, a manipulation.

Katherine Pierce, however, was not that lucky. It was Christmas night and she clung to the hope that perhaps Klaus would take a break from the torture for one night, if only for the benefit of spending time with his beloved sister. But every year it was the same. Rebekah begged him to take a break for a day and Klaus refused.

The door grinned open, making the familiar grind and click sound that Katherine had come to loath. It was the sound of the beginning of another _fun time with Klaus_ session.

"How is my little vampire doing today?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I wonder what it must be like," he said, "to be able to hear all the Christmas Time Cheer from your little cell down here, but not be able to participate."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "I actually find it quite annoying. What could they possibly have to be that _cheerful_ about?"

Klaus nodded, smiling. "I have no idea."

Rebekah appeared at the door. "Brother?" Klaus huffed with annoyance and turned to his sister. She continued, "Klaus, I will ask you every year to give this up. Only for one day. We are a family and it is Christmas."

"And I will tell you every year," he replied, "that I will not take a break." He turned back toward Katherine, a wicked smile on his face. "I am having too much fun."

Rebekah shook her head and pulled away from the door. "Fine. Have fun with your toy."

"Now." Klaus said, his full attention back on Katherine. "What memory should we explore today?"

He reached out and she shrank back, not wanting to have to go through his torture again. He rolled his eyes, quickly grabbing her hand before she could pull it away again and she was gone, back in time. The date was May 7th 1854. She was eight at the time.

"Kat! Kat come back here!" Called Elena as she ran after her twin sister. The girls' laughter rang out across the courtyard. It had been perfect weather that day. The sun shown brightly in the sky, highlighting a puffy cloud here or there. The temperature was warm enough that they hadn't needed coats. The birds chirped in the green trees and the newly planted flowers in the front lawn gave brilliant color to the scene.

Katherine had always loved those flowers, despite the fact that they made both of the sisters sneeze like crazy.

As Elena finally caught up Katherine felt her pull at her dress. _"I got you!"_ She said, excited that she had won the game._ "Now it's your turn. You have to get me."_ Katherine watched Elena take off in the other direction.

Katherine barely hesitated a second before following after her sister. She couldn't help but laughing. It was the type of day that even a gust of wind in your hair could make you feel like you were soaring.

The two sisters played in their yard, yelling and giggling whenever one of them won. Katherine had never felt so free, so much at home. She was with her sister, who loved her, and they were playing childish games together.

Suddenly there was a chill. It was much colder and sharper than the light breeze that had been blowing all day. Katherine felt her arms bristle with goosebumps and she gave an involuntary shiver. She started to panic as she watched her sister, still lighthearted, disappear around the corner of the house. A sinking feeling started to pull at Katherine's gut. She broke into a full sprint.

A blood curling scream rang through the air just as Katherine reached the corner and turned to see her twin sister, covered in blood. Klaus stood, the young Elena in his hands, his fangs out and the corners of his mouth dripping with her blood. Elena's hands flew to her neck to hold the wound and she slowly turned around to face her sister. She looked scared and startled at first, but as Katherine watched, Elena's face began to change. She grew angry and the veins on her face popped out. Her eyes were red and when she opened her mouth to talk, she now had fangs.

_"You did this to me."_ she said, her voice no longer full of laughter and delight, but hatred and despair. It didn't seem right to Katherine. To see this sight of such a young innocent face angry and distorted by

Katherine shook her head._ "No. I didn't mean to."_

Eight year old Elena took a firm step towards Katherine, lifting a steady finger to point at her. _"You dragged me into this world and then you let me die and become a monster."_

_"No, Elena, Please."_ Katherine felt a tear run down her face._ "I never wanted this for you. I was selfish with Elijah and because of it you . . ."_ She couldn't even finish her sentence. She fell to the ground, crushed with the weight of her guilt, trying to get her bearings on what was reality and what was a dream.

Her eyes flew open and she was meet with the face of a very amused Klaus. She pulled back her hand and slapped him as hard as she could before leaning back and facing the wall, blinking rapidly to keep her tears at bay.

"Looks like my work for today is done." he said, standing up and heading to the door. "Merry Christmas, Katherine."


	41. A Forbes Dinner

A/N - Merry Christmas Everyone! So I have been working hard trying to get this chapter to you guys on time, especially because it's Christmas.

Again, this is an unedited version, so I apologize for any awkward wording or grammar, but I just wanted to get it to you guys on time. I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>Jeremy's head was reeling. It was hard to take in anything Bonnie had just told him. It was all too much. The mere fact that magic was real was hard to comprehend, let alone the fact that Stefan and Elena were vampires, and she was a practicing witch.<p>

He had known that Stefan had been acting a little strange the past few weeks, but he had assumed it was just because he was with Elena. He probably still wouldn't have believed any of it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

_Your world will never be the same again_ Bonnie had said. She couldn't have been more right. Jeremy could never look at the world the same way as he did before, not now that he knew what was out there.

"So what does it mean, exactly?" He asked her.

She furrowed her brows, not understanding his question. "What does what mean?" she asked.

"What does it mean, that you're a witch?"

"It means that I can do magic." She answered simply.

"What, like Harry Potter?"

She grinned and shook her head. "No. Real witches don't use wands, we use grimoires, which is a kind of spell book. And our spells are a lot more complicated."

Jeremy nodded. "So, why did that guy kidnap us?"

"You mean Klaus?" Bonnie said. "He wanted me to do a spell for him. A spell to let him talk to his dead mother."

"Then why did he need me?"

Bonnie hesitated before answering. "He knew I wouldn't do the spell for him just because he asked. He's not a good guy. So he kidnapped you to use as leverage. If I hadn't done as he asked, he would have killed you."

Jeremy didn't say anything for another moment, thinking about what she had said. "So what now?" he finally asked.

"Now," She said, "We wait. Klaus got the information that he wanted. He probably already knows that Max is still alive. And now that he knows he needs her, he is going to make a move to get her. We have to do everything we can to protect her."

"Right. So who is Max again?"

"Elena's doppelganger." Bonnie said. "Because Elena and Katherine are twins, it makes sense that they look identical, but Max was born in this century. She isn't, or I guess wasn't, a vampire, but somehow, she looks exactly like them."

Jeremy sighed and sat down on Bonnie's bed. "So there's nothing we can do? We are just going to sit here and wait?"

"We don't really have another choice." Said Bonnie, copying Jeremy's actions. "Klaus is too powerful. And on the off chance that he doesn't know Max is still alive, we don't want to give it away that she is."

Jeremy threw up his hands. "Well, there must be something we can do!"

"There's nothing. And, even if there was, I don't have enough control over my magic to do anything big."

"Is there a way to get more control? More power?" Jeremy asked. He wasn't sure why he wanted to help her out so much. Maybe it was because she had saved his life, or because she was working with Stefan, one of his only friends. Whatever the reason, he wanted to help. That he did know for sure.

"Well . . ." Bonnie said, hesitating. "There is something . . ."

Jeremy slid closer. "What? What is it?"

"It's called channeling." She said. "I can channel power from another magical object, or natural things like fire, or another person. It would give me more control and more power. I would be able to do more to help."

"Could you channel me?" Jeremy asked, excited to finally be able to help.

Bonnie nodded.

Jeremy grabbed her hand and nodded. "Do it."

* * *

><p>Damon groaned. Today was the day he would have to go to Liz Forbes' friends dinner. He wasn't big on that kind of stuff, but he wanted to keep in the sheriff's good graces and stay on the council.<p>

He walked towards the table where he kept his alcohol and pulled out a glass. When he went to pour more, he found that the last bottle of bourbon was empty. He sighed and headed downstairs to get a new bottle.

He was busy shaking his head over his stupidity at not restocking the cabinet, when he smelt it. There was a foul smell coming from one of the old cells. Something seemed to be rotting. He grimaced and continued walking to the door. Grabbing the handle, he pulled the door open and was meet with a sight that he wouldn't soon forget.

"Well," he said to himself. "This is _really_ not good."

* * *

><p>Elena stepped up and knocked on the front door of the Forbes house. She turned and gave an awkward smile to Stefan who was standing next to her while they waited to be let in.<p>

Liz opened the door and greeted them with a huge smile on her face. "Elena, Stefan. Thanks for coming. Come on in. Bonnie and Damon are already here."

They nodded politely and headed inside towards the living room where Bonnie and Caroline were laughing about something and Damon sat along, a drink already in his hand.

Caroline lit up when she saw Stefan and Elena and quickly pulled them over to where she had been sitting. "I'm so glad you guys are here. I don't think I could sit through an entire dinner with my mom and her friends if you weren't here too."

Elena nodded in understanding. "We couldn't just leave you stranded, now could we?" Caroline laughed.

Stefan turned to Liz. "Mrs. Forbes, how many more people do you have coming?"

"Oh not much." She said, waving away his question. "Just Alaric and -" she was cut off by the sound of knocking at the front door. "That's probably him now." She rushed away, returning a moment later with Alaric in tow. Damon and Alaric nodded at each other in greeting before Alaric gave an awkward, "Hi" to the rest of the group. There was a chorus of "hi"s in return.

"Well," Liz said, "Most of us are here, why don't we all sit down for dinner?" A few people nodded. "Okay then, come on into the dining room."

Before long, everyone was all sitting down at the table, enjoying the wonderful meal that Liz had cooked, and making small talk.

"So Liz," Alaric said, "Have you made any progress on the missing persons?" Elena snapped to attention. She knew that there had been a few more missing persons cases and that Liz was the Sheriff, which meant that she was investigating them. Elena, however, suspected another vampire, and she knew that Alaric probably did as well. Why would he ask such a blatantly obvious question? Asking too many questions about the disappearances could be dangerous. However, she was curious and eager to her the Sheriff's answer.

"Not really." Liz replied, throwing a glance at Damon. "The victims didn't have much in common and they have gone missing from all over town. We really don't have any leads."

There was a knock on the door. "I'll get that." Liz said, standing up and walking over to the front door.

The moment Liz was out of sight Elena gave Alaric a light punch in the arm. "What were you thinking? Asking about the disappearances?"

"Hey! I just thought it might be helpful to see what the Sheriff knows. She might have information that would mean nothing to her, but could tell us who it is."

"Wait." Caroline said, "You think the disappearances are because of a vampire?"

Elena barely had time to nod before Liz arrived back in the dining room with the final guest.

Elena was shocked. She wasn't expecting to see his face in such a mundane setting, but there he was.

"Hello." He said. "I'm Elijah Mikaelson, a friend of Liz's."

The whole table had grown silent. Most of them recognized him from the ritual, except for Bonnie, although she seemed to pick it up that something was wrong pretty easily. The entire table was now on high alert.

"I meet Elijah at the Grill," Liz was saying, "and I thought it would be nice for him to meet you all. That's why I had this dinner." They both sat down, and Elijah noticed the fact that no one was eating.

"Well, don't stop eating on my account." He said.

Elena continued to stare at him as she forked a piece of broccoli and shoved it into her mouth. Around the table, the others did the same.

"So Elijah," Damon said, breaking the silence, "What are you doing here in Mystic Falls?"

"Oh I'm here on business." Elijah immediately. "I need to collect an asset for my brother. You see, we are in business together."

"Oh really?" Damon said, knowing there was a double meaning in Elijah's words. "What kind of asset?"

Elijah glanced in Elena's direction and smiled. "Oh I think you know what kind, Mr. Salvatore. It used to be in my possession, but then someone stole it from me."

He knew. He knew that Max was alive and that they had her. That was why he had glanced at Elena when he had said that. Elena spoke up. "And what will happen if you don't get it?"

Elijah squinted, as if it was amusing to him to watch them squirm. "I would not think that would be a very desirable situation for anyone." He took another bite of his food. "Mmm. I apologise, Mrs. Forbes. I am quite hungry."

Caroline threw Stefan and Elena a glance. Elijah wasn't referring to food.

"No, it's fine." Liz replied, totally clueless to the fact that she was practically being threatened by a thousand year old vampire.

"You know, I never got a drink." Elijah said to Liz. "Would you mind getting me a water?"

She got up immediately. "Of course."

The moment she left the room, Elena pounced on him. "What do you want?"

"Haven't I made it obvious? I want that little doppelganger you are keeping locked away. And if you refuse, I will kill every single person that you care about."

Liz walked back in the room, carrying his water.

"Here you go, Mr. Mikaelson."

"Please." he said. "Call me Elijah."

* * *

><p>"Well, that went wonderfully." Caroline said, plopping into one of the sofas at in the Salvatore's living room. How had she gotten herself mixed up in this mess again?<p>

"Yeah." Said Alaric. "What are we going to do? We can't just give Max up."

"No." Stefan replied. "But we can't just let him kill everyone either. Right?"

"No. He threatened my mom." Caroline said. "We can't let him get away with that."

"Maybe I could do a spell." Bonnie suggested. "I have more power now that I can channel Jeremy."

"But what kind of spell?" Caroline asked.

"I don't know." Alaric said. "Elena, what do you think?" They looked around the room. Elena wasn't there. "Where's Elena?" Alaric asked.

Stefan looked around again, growing more and more worried. "Where is Damon?"

The four of them looked at each other, realization growing in their eyes.

Caroline was the one to speak up. "They're not here."


	42. March 7th 1921

A/N - HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody! I hope you all have a great 2015. It's been killing me that TVD doesn't come back on for another two weeks, but it has been nice to be able to write about all my fav characters, so that helps.

I wrote this chapter a while ago and it has really helped me get a good grip on what Katherine and Elena's motives in life are and understand better why they both hate each other so much. It's been really fun to create this new dynamic between the two of them as sisters and I think this chapter really captures their entire relationship well. Also, I thing that was just the most fun for me to write, so that helped.

To all you delena fans, don't you worry. Not long now.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, and feel free to leave a review. I love hearing what you have to say.

* * *

><p>March 7th 1921:<p>

Elena sat up in her chair as the door to her cell swung open, letting in some of the only light she ever got in that dark room. "It's never going to work, Lexi," she taunted. "You've been trying to get me to get me to turn my emotions back on for over a year now. When are you going to realize that it is going to take a lot more than physical torture?"

Lexi crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame. "You're right. You really don't want to crack. You're obviously not going to let love back in first, and your hate for me is still not strong enough yet to get you turn your emotions back on." She pushed off the door frame and walked over to Elena, crouching down to look at Elena's face. "So, I have to figure out who you do hate enough."

Elena tried to pull away, but it didn't work. The chains holding her to the chair were to strong. Lexi grabbed Elena's hands and closed her eyes, concentrating on finding the perfect memory.

Both girls were whisked away into Elena's mind, into her memories. Elena knew the exact date as soon as she saw the scene. It was July tenth, 1878, fourteen years after she had turned. She had settled in a small town and had begun to build a life for herself. The people were nice and by that point, she had been there for quite a few years. She had made friends, and enemies, and she had just started to think of the town as home.

She sat on the back porch of the house that a nice couple had offered for her to stay at for as long as she needed. Beside her sat a boy. He was around seventeen years old. They sat side by side, silent, their legs swing back and forth from in front of them to under the porch and back out again. The sun set as the two teenagers, at least in appearance, sat next to each other, taking in the beautiful sight. Neither one of them said anything, not wanting to ruin the moment.

The boy slowly reached out and put his hand on top of Elena's , where it was resting on the porch. She looked down at their hands and then turned her hand over and took his, intertwining their fingers. He looked up, slightly startled that she had actually taken his hand and she couldn't help but smile. His face was perfectly outlined in the light of the setting sun, giving him a heavenly glow. She studied the lines in his face and the way that his curly hair just never wanted to stay behind his ears. He stared back at her so she began to studied his eyes. They were a beautiful shade of green on a normal day, but in the light of the sunset they looked like a glowing gold.

She leaned forward toward him as he copied the action until they so close that she could see every faint freckle on his face. At the same time, they closed the distance between them. She could feel his lips on hers, soft and gentle. It was everything she had hoped for and more.

Elena had never told anyone about this memory. It was sacred. It was magical. It had been her first kiss. When she had been human, she had been quieter and she kept to herself. Sure, there had been boys who had come calling, but she never loved them. When she turned, she spent the first few years of her eternity running, afraid to settle down or make any attachments because of Klaus. But in that little town in Southeastern Pennsylvania, she had had let herself grow attached. She knew it was probably a bad idea, but after years of running she was tired, so she stayed.

However, when you stay, you begin to care for the people you meet, the ones who have taken you under their wings, even if they didn't know that you are actually older than them. That's what happened. Elena got to know the town and the people and soon she had fallen in love with a boy who would kiss her at sunset on the back porch of the home where she had been living.

It was a beautiful moment, but as such moments always do, it came to an end. They pulled apart, still staring into the other's eyes.

_"That was . . ."_ Elena had struggled for the right words.

_"Stupid."_ came the reply from the brunette standing at the side of the house.

The two teenagers on the porch turned toward the speaker, and the moment Elena saw her, she sat up straighter, suddenly on guard. _"Katherine. What are you doing here?"_

Katherine stepped toward the two of them._ "I came to warn you, Elena."_

Elena glared at her twin. _"Why would you warn me about anything? I can take care of myself. You made sure of that."_ Elena put as much hate in between the lines of her words as she could.

_"What's going on here Elena?"_ The boy asked. _"How come you never told me you have a twin?"_

Elena glanced at him and then back at her sister, standing up to put herself between the two. No matter what happened, she didn't want him to get hurt.

_"Elena,"_ Katherine tried to explain. _"I heard a rumor that he has learned your whereabouts. You are no longer safe here. You need to leave."_

Elena shook her head. _"I'm tired of running, Katherine. I'm not leaving."_ Elena knew that her sister would never understand, but she tried to explain herself anyway. _"If he comes, he can take me. But if I run, he'll kill everyone I care about."_

Katherine scoffed._ "Are you really going to give up your life for a bunch of humans?"_

Elena glanced down at the boy again, hating the confused and betrayed look on his face, but enchanted by the fact that he still looked beautiful, even when he had no idea what was happening.

Katherine squinted, noticing the exchange between her sister and the boy._ "No."_ She said. _"You don't _really_ think you are in love with this boy!"_ Elena didn't need to answer, her look of determination gave away her answer. Katherine rolled her eyes. _"So _that_ is why you won't leave."_

Elena advanced toward her sister._ "Katherine, you need to leave now."_ She gritted her teeth, and added another line, trying to keep up appearances, _"Thank you for the warning."_

Katherine shook her head. _"I can't let you get yourself killed. If it's this boy that is keeping you here, then I'll do you a favor."_

Before Elena had any time to react, Katherine had speed over to the boy and snapped his neck. His body fell to the side, laying on the porch as if he was sleeping.

Elena felt her heart break and hatred rushed into. She was back in her cell with Lexi, but she barely even noticed. All she cared about was Katherine. Her sister. The sister who had tricked her into turning. The sister who had abandoned her to fend for herself for years, running from Klaus. The sister who had killed her first love, the first boy she had ever kissed. The sister who killed people for pleasure. The sister whose love for a man was greater than her love for her own sister which resulted in her own capture and Elena turning off her emotions. Elena Pierce hated Katherine Pierce with her whole being.


	43. Road Trip

A/N - Hello all my lovely followers. So, I as wrong last week, _now_ we have two more weeks to wait for the rest of season 6.

I have been pretty busy with school starting back up and rehearsals for my school musical, so I hardly had any times to write this chapter, but somehow I got it done in time for all of you. I hope you like it!

And don't forget to review. I'm really excited to see what you all think of this new chapter.

* * *

><p>Elena took in a deep breath as if she hadn't been breathing for a while. She let it fill her lungs and took pleasure in the simple act of breathing. After a moment, she scanned her surroundings.<p>

She was in a car, low to the road, so it wasn't any type of minivan. The road in front of her was two lane and straight, pretty empty. Out the window to her right were fields and fields of crops, flying by.

But the real kick, was the driver. "Morning sunshine." Damon said with a stupid smirk on his face while throwing her a glance.

Elena sat up. How had she gotten here? She could remember the dinner at the Forbes, Elijah threatening to kill Caroline's mom and him demanding Max. She remembered the dinner ending and heading out to her car. And then Damon had called her name and she turned around and . . . nothing. The next thing she remembered was waking up in this car.

"What did you do, Damon?" she said frantically, sitting up in her chair.

"I killed you." He answered nonchalantly.

She grinned her teeth. "You what?"

He glanced over at her again. "Killed you. Snapped your neck. But it's fine, I knew you would come back."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but the anger kept burning inside her. "And _why_ did you deem it necessary to kill me?"

He shrugged, not even taking his eyes off the road this time. "I didn't think you would want to come on your own accord."

This statement made her realize that she had no idea where she was. "Come where? Where are we going?"

"The Duke Campus." he replied.

"Why?"

"Research."

She rolled her eyes at his vague, quick answers. "What are we going to research?"

"Werewolves, vampires, the original family, doppelgangers, anything else we may need to know about in the future."

"Right. Of course." She said, crossing her arms. She glanced out the window for a moment, watching the tall stalks of corn fly by, before she came up with another question. "So why did you need me to come along?"

This made him pause. So she wasn't going to get a two syllable, vague answer this time. He turned to face her. "Because, you aren't the worst company in the world, Elena." She rolled her eyes, facing out her window again. It may not have been two syllables, but it was still vague.

* * *

><p>Caroline looked around at the sea of students flowing through the hallway. How could they continue about their day as if nothing was wrong, as if her best friend and a friendly acquaintance were not missing?<p>

Caroline and the others had searched all night. They had tried Elena and Damon's cells and even resorted to asking random strangers if they had seen their friends. They had had no luck. It seemed as if the two of them had dropped off the face of the Earth.

Students walked around her as she slowly made her way towards her locker. She was exhausted from the long night of searching and hated the fact that she had to go to school. She didn't want to be sitting in a classroom all day, she wanted to be doing _something_.

"Hey, Care." Matt said, startling Caroline out of her thoughts. "What's up?"

"Oh, hey Matt." She responded, deciding to ignore his question. She didn't feel like making up some lie about how she was fine and dandy. She reached into her locker, absentmindedly grabbing her textbooks for class.

Matt leaned against the lockers next to hers. "You've been avoiding me." It wasn't a question.

She shook her head. "No I haven't."

"Yes." He side, not letting her off easy. "You have."

She stopped fidgeting with her books and looked up at him. "Look Matt. You're right. It's just, I've been dealing with some stuff lately, and it's been a long night and I'm sort of really worried about something, so could we please not do this right now?"

"Why won't you tell me anything?" Matt asked, growing annoyed.

Caroline looked towards the ground. She hated having to shut Matt out and lying to him, but she would hate it even more if he were to find out what she really was and looked at her like a monster. "I _do_ tell you stuff." She said, desperate to find a way out of the conversation.

"Not anything important." Matt replied. "You're right Care, you have been going through something. I've noticed because you hardly talk to me anymore. And when you do, you act differently, distracted. I want to be there for you while you go through whatever this is, but you just keep pushing me away."

Caroline didn't respond. She knew he was right. Her new life as a vampire had forced her to drive him away. "I know." She said. It was probably best that she give in. She didn't want to lose him for good. "Matt, you're right. I _have_ been pushing you away. But I'll change now. I'll be better. I'll see you more. Please, give me another chance."

Matt narrowed his eyes and Caroline knew he was trying to decide whether or not to believe her. Finally he answered, "Okay. I'll give you another chance."

* * *

><p>Stefan arrived home. He knew he shouldn't hope that his brother would be home, but he couldn't help it. He was worried about Damon. "Hello?" hey called into his house.<p>

At first, there was no answer. After a moment, a female voice echoed through the house. "Hello Stefan."

He quickly stepped into the living room. "Elena?" He asked hopefully. If she was home, then Damon was probably home and they were both safe.

The girl stepped into the room. "Not Elena. Sorry to disappoint." Stefan sighed in frustration as his heart sank. "Although, I've heard my twin is missing?" she continued. "Is that true?"

"Yes. Do you know where they went?"

"No. My sister hates me, remember?" Katherine replied snarkily.

"Yeah, I remember. And Damon didn't tell you anything?" Stefan asked. He knew that perhaps he was showing his hand prematurely, but he had suspected that there was something going on between his brother and Katherine for a little while.

She smiled slightly and began walking towards him. "Now why would you ask that?"

"I was just wondering if you and my brother were . . ." Stefan searched for the right word, "friends."

She reached him and caressed his face. "Why would I chose your bother when you are so much better?"

Stefan didn't know what to say. He knew he should slap away her hand, but she looked so much like Elena . . .

No. He finally snapped himself out of it and stepped past her. "Why are you here?"

She turned around to face him, now annoyed. "I thought we were going to come up with a plan to defeat Klaus."

"Well, Elena and Damon are missing at the moment, so your plan for revenge is going to have to wait."

She sighed. "Ugh, Elena this, Elena that. Why does no one care about me?"

"Because," Stefan said, "You are selfish and manipulative. That doesn't win you very many friends."

"At least I survive." She snapped. Stefan didn't respond. Finally, she threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Fine." She plopped down on the couch. "I'll wait till you find your precious Elena before we make the plan."

* * *

><p>"How long do you plan on keeping me here?" Elena asked as she sat down on the edge of the motel bed.<p>

Damon rolled his eyes. "You're not a prisoner."

"You kidnapped me, took my cell phone so I couldn't call home, forced me to help you research anything and everything that could even remotely prove useful in our situation, and now we are stopping for the night at a motel? That sounds like a prisoner to me."

"Well," Damon began, jumping on the other bed and crossing his legs. "You're not a prisoner."

"Then what am I?" she asked, half teasing him, although she _was_ upset he wouldn't let her call Stefan.

"You're . . ." Damon thought for a moment. "You're my research assistant."

Elena tried to hide her smile at his pathetic reply. Instead, she put on her best unimpressed face. "Your research assistant?"

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes and headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed. By the time she came back out, Damon seemed to be out cold. She headed over to her bed and pulled the covers up before reaching up to turn off the light.

"Elena?" Apparently he wasn't as asleep as she thought.

"Yeah?" She replied.

"Why don't you and Katherine get along?"

Elena sucked in a breath. It was a big question. However, as she thought about it, she was probably going to have to tell the story anyway. She rolled over to face him across the aisle between the beds. He watched her, curious.

"It was a few years after I was turned." She began. She told him the story of how she had meet a boy and they had fallen quickly in love. She told him about that night watching the sunset and the magical first kiss. Damon listened to every word, fascinated. She explained how Katherine had showed up with warnings about Klaus and how she had told her sister that she wanted to stay. "Katherine figured out that I wanted to stay because of him and so she . . ." Elena couldn't continue. She realized that tears had sprung to her eyes and as she blinked, one rolled down her cheek.

Immediately, Damon threw the covers off of himself and sat next to her in her bed, holding her head in his hands. He wiped the tears off her face and stroked her hair. It was clear from her tears how the story ended.

She hadn't known how much telling that story would affect her. It had been over 100 years, but as she had talked, all her old feelings of love and hatred came back to her. As she lay there crying, she realized that she had never told that story to anyone before, excluding Lexi, who had forcefully taken it from her. It was too personal. Too raw. Even after a century.

Damon never moved. He held her and comforted her as she cried. She never protested. She felt comfortable and safe in his arms. She breathed in his scent as she cuddled his chest. There was no place she would have rather been in that moment.

By the time her tears finally slowed, they had slid down into her bed. She looked up from her pillow into his eyes and saw nothing but affection. They laid there, staring at each other, both their heads on pillows for an indefinite amount of time.

"Elena." Damon whispered eventually.

"Yes Damon?" She whispered back.

There was another moment before he answered. "I love you."

All at once, Elena couldn't breathe. Those were three words she was never expecting to hear him say. Not to her. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Her head was reeling. She was in total shock.

"Say something." He said. His eyes darted back and forth between hers, no doubt trying to figure out her reaction.

She sat up and pulled her hair behind her ear. "Damon," she finally found her voice. "I'm with Stefan."

Damon seemed to deflate, but he nodded. "I know."

She quickly tried to comfort him. "I just, I can't do that to him. He's your brother."

"I know."

"Damon, I-"

He cut her off. "Do you know what he's been up to?"

Elena pulled back at his suddenly accusing tone. "What do you mean?"

Damon shook his head. "You know all those murders and missing persons? The ones that were probably another vampire, not just some 'wild animal'?"

Elena couldn't see where Damon was going with this. "Yeah. What do they have to do with Stefan?"

"I think he is the one doing it."

Elena wondered if she had heard Damon correctly. "What?"

"The other day, I ran out of bourbon, so I went down to the cellar to get some more and I smelled something funky down there, so I went to check it out and . . . our cellar is stuffed full of dead bodies. Rotting corpses. They've all got bit marks on their necks.

Elena stood up. Trying to put the pieces together. "You think Stefan has been feeding on people and then bringing them to your cellar?"

Damon shrugged, frustrated. "Look Elena. Don't know what to think. But something's wrong and I thought you should know."

Elena nodded, but she was only half paying attention. Was it possible that Stefan was really killing people like that? She didn't want to believe it, but the pieces seemed to fit.


	44. March 12th 1921

I hope you all enjoyed that last chapter. I was so glad I finally found a chance to write a DE road trip.

Massive thank you to my amazing beta, juxtaposed92. She really is wonderful and extremely helpful.

I love all you guys. I can't believe people are actually reading this extremely long story and sticking with me, so thank you.

Reviews are what keep me going, so please let me know what you think.

* * *

><p>March 12th 1921:<p>

Katherine didn't struggle anymore. Klaus came in, took hold of her hand, and took her back into the past. She should have been used to it by now, but every time he came up with a new way to mess with her head.

This time she went back to the day that would forever change her sister's life. It was almost midnight on August 25th, 1864. It had been the night of the council's roundup. Katherine had run to warn Elijah, but he was gone, so she did her best to disappear as well. However, as a new vampire, in a town full of vampire hunters trying to round up as many as they could find with a compass that pointed toward the nearest one, dissapearing was harder than it sounded.

Katherine ran. She didn't know exactly where she was running, except that it was away from that town. She found herself watching out of the corner of her eyes as Mr. Gilbert took Pearl away. She continued running.

Before long she was in the woods. Someone called out. Normally, she wouldn't have been able to hear them from her distance. Her new supernatural hearing changed that. _"Over here!"_ they yelled. _"It's Katherine Pierce, she is one of them!"_

She put on another burst of speed and tried to lose them in the forest. A shot rang out behind her, but she didn't feel any pain. She looked down at her body and couldn't find any blood. It hadn't hit her. Then she heard a thud. It was the sound of a body falling to the ground.

_"I hit her!"_ One of them yelled. Katherine barely noticed. She was at the body in a second. It was Elena. Of course it was Elena, they had thought it was her. Katherine felt for a pulse, even though she already knew there was no heartbeat.

_"No, Elena. I'm so sorry. It's my fault. They thought you were me."_ Katherine shook with guilt and fear. Her brain barely registered the footfalls as they came closer to collect her body. They meant to put Elena into the church and burn her alive.

_"What the . . ."_ said the two men when they reached where Elena had fallen and saw Katherine standing over her dead body.

She slowly stood up and turned to face the two men from the council who had shot her sister, sealing her fate as a vampire. She felt her fangs grow out and the veins protrude on her face. She hissed as she leapt at the two men, not bothering to drink their blood, they were probably on vervain anyway. She plunged her hands straight into their chests and ripped out their hearts.

She turned back towards Elena's body and lifted began dragging her body away from the sight where she had died. Katherine didn't want anyone finding her before she woke up. When she got Elena to a satisfactory distance from her death sight, Katherine put her down, looked around, and ran.

Suddenly there was a figure standing in front of her. _This isn't right,_ Katherine found herself thinking.

_"So you turned her into one of us, and then you left her."_ The man in the shadows stepped forward.

_"Klaus."_ She said, her memories coming back to her. How she was actually locked up in a cell with him digging through her memories.

He gestured around to the trees and dark of night. _"I didn't even have to change anything in this memory."_ He walked toward her. _"You got her killed and then left her all by yourself."_

She closed her eyes, concentrating on the cell she knew she was actually in. When she opened her eyes again, she was an inch away from Klaus's face and sitting in an extremely uncomfortable position on the floor.

She didn't let her face show any emotion except hate. She watched him as he got back up, smiling. "It's been a good day today, don't you think, Katherine?"

She didn't even give him the dignity of an answer.


	45. The Founder's Ball

A/N - Greetings. Happy new TVD day! How are you guys liking this season?

**IMPORTANT** - While I was writing this chapter, I realized I had to tweak a few things from some previous chapters to make the plot work. I have already gone back and updated it, but all you need to know is that Klaus _doesn't_ know that he needs the doppelganger's blood to sire hybrids (Which still wouldn't have worked with Max anyway because now she's a vamp but that's beside the point) instead, he thinks that he needs to finish what he started and _kill_ the doppelganger in order for it to work.

The last 3 present-day chapters (this one and 2 more) in this book took/are taking me forever to plan and write. They have the most complicated plots I've written yet and I'm really trying to get it all just right. I'm really excited for where this story is headed.

As you probably already know, this is the longest story I've ever written, both fanfiction wise and original. I'm really enjoying creating my own plots and having my fav characters interact in ways I've never seen in the show. I think there are going to be two more "book"s after this one, unless I get a really good idea from season 6 and have to write it in.

As always, please leave a review. You're feedback is what keeps me going. Now, enough from me, ENJOY!

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><p>It had been a day since Elena and Damon had arrived back in their small hometown of Mystic Falls. Caroline had freaked at them initially, upset that neither had bothered to call and let the rest of them know they were fine. When she had finally calmed down enough, the duo were finally able to tell the others where they had been. They explained how they had gone to do some research at the Duke campus and Damon had thought it would be a good idea to turn off their cell phones so as not to get distracted.<p>

"We must have forgotten to turn them back on when we got to the hotel." Damon explained, finishing his tale.

Caroline's eyes flew to Elena who seemed to be hiding a smile as she listened to Damon._ Weird._

"So." Stefan stepped forward. "Why did you have to take Elena with you?"

Damon hesitated a moment, throwing a glance at Elena. He said, "She was assisting me with my research."

That was when Caroline thought she saw her friend give a small head-shake, as if she was laughing at a private joke. She squinted her eyes. No one else seemed to notice, so Caroline shook her head. Maybe she was imagining things.

Now it was Katherine that spoke up. "And?" she asked, addressing the question to Damon.

"And what?" Damon replied.

Katherine rolled her eyes and stood up, walking over to the eldest Salvatore. "_And_ what did you find? Did you learning of anything new and helpful? Something we could use to take down Klaus?"

Elena stepped towards her sister. "Katherine, we searched for hours and hours. The whole day, actually, and we couldn't find anything even remotely helpful."

Katherine directed a fake smile at her sister. "Great. So that was another two days wasted." She turned towards Stefan. "I hope this whole 'being patient' thing works, 'cuz right now, it's not looking so good."

At that second, the front door to the Salvatore house flew open.

"Guys I think we found something!" Bonnie exclaimed, looking around at the rest of the group. Jeremy followed her in, looking equally as excited.

Elena turned to the witch. "Bonnie, what is it?"

Bonnie glanced at Jeremy before answering. "Me and Jeremy were looking through some of my family's old grimoires and we came across a spell I think we can use against Klaus."

This news did the trick. Evernone was sitting up in their seats, eager to hear what Bonnie was thinking. Caroline noticed Lexi and Max come down the stairs, probably having heard the commotion from her room.

As Bonnie explained the spell, Caroline grew more and more confident. It seemed like it would work. The rest of the gang began throwing out suggestions, what they could do to help. Soon, each person had a role, except Max. She wanted to help, but Elena quickly shut down that idea.

"It's too dangerous." Elena said, with a voice of finality. "If Klaus gets his hands on you, he'll kill you. You're not risking it."

Max shut up pretty quickly after that. It almost seemed out of character. She would normally have argued a lot more.

Caroline tried to shrug it off. Maybe both Max and Elena acting strange was just a doppelganger thing.

The group put the final touches on their plan. It would happen at the Founders Ball Mrs. Lockwood had decided to hold. While the majority of the town would be dancing around the floor in gorgeous ball gowns, they would be enacting a plan to take down a hybrid.

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><p>Liz grabbed Damon's arm and pulled him into the secret council meeting. Every time anyone on the founding families did anything like a party or town gathering, it was really just an excuse to meet as the council and discuss what to do about the town's vampire problem.<p>

Damon let her lead him to a seat as the mayor walked up to the front and addressed the council. "Fellow council members. By now, I'm sure you've all heard of the, so called, animal attacks and missing persons."

Damon glanced over at Liz, who had sat down next to him. They had both been hoping to keep this between the two of them for at least a little longer. They didn't want the council to do anything stupid under the influence of John Gilbert. But it seemed that that was now out of their control.

"Well, as I'm sure you've all guessed," Mayor Lockwood continued, "They were not actually_ animal_ attacks. We have reason to believe that there is a rogue vampire in our town and we need to figure out who it is and kill it."

Damon kept his poker face on, but was internally thinking frantically. He was pretty sure he knew what vampire was doing this and that that vampire was his brother. But even if Stefan was the one behind the attacks, he didn't want him dead. If the council found out about any of Damon's friends, they were in trouble. Even more trouble than they were already in with Klaus.

"I think we need to plan a round up." John Gilbert said, standing up. Liz rolled her eyes and Damon's heartbeat quickened. A roundup would be very bad.

The Mayor shifted his weight and crossed his arms, addressing John, "You mean, like the one in 1864?"

"Yes." John replied. "Just like that one." He held up his hand to show the council what looked like an old pocket watch. "This is a device that can find vampires."

The rest of the council stirred in their seats. They buying into every word John was saying hook, line, and sinker.

Even the Mayor looked impressed. "Okay John, how do you suppose we go about this?"

"We plan a date, then we track as many as we can, take them down with vervain and lock them up somewhere and burn the building down with them inside it. Just like 1864."

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><p>"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Bonnie said, taking Jeremy's hand as they began to dance. Her dress fell to the floor and flowed as they began to slowly spin in circles around the dance floor.<p>

"Talk you into what?" He asked, grinning. "Dancing with me?"

"No." She answered glaring at him. "You know what."

Jeremy sighed, frustrated that his attempt to flirt with her had been totally discarded. "It's the only way Bonnie." Jeremy said, knowing what she was talking about. "Damon and Alaric are needed elsewhere and I'm willing to risk it."

She stopped dancing in the middle of the floor. "But I'm not."

Jeremy pulled her out of the way into an empty hallway. He looked her straight in the eyes, trying to understand the meaning behind what she was saying. "What do you mean by that?"

Bonnie looked down at the floor. _Is she blushing?_ Jeremy found himself thinking. "Jeremy, it's too dangerous. I have no guarantee that I can bring you back." Bonnie explained, avoiding the question. "It will take a whole lot of power that I'm not sure I have. I shouldn't have agreed to this."

"Bonnie," Jeremy whispered, putting his hand under her chin and lifting it so she was looking straight at him. "I believe in you. I trust you."

The corner of her mouth pulled slightly upward as she nodded. Then her eyes began to tear up, one quickly spilling down her right cheek, most likely against her will. Her gaze fell back towards the floor.

Jeremy wiped her tear away with a gentle finger. "What's wrong Bonnie?"

She shook her head and swallowed before she looked back into his eyes. "I can't lose you Jeremy."

For a moment, Jeremy didn't move. Then he did the one thing he had been wanting to do ever since she had rescued him from Klaus. He leaned forward and kissed her.

To his surprise, she kissed him back. He felt her hand and the back of his neck. It seemed to last forever and over too quickly at the same time.

When it ended, they looked into each other's eyes, their noses still touching. They both smiled and Jeremy reached out to push the hair out of her face. Almost immediately, she pulled him back down for another kiss.

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><p>Stefan spun Elena around on the dance floor, barely holding on her hand above her head as she twirled. She laughed as he pulled her back towards him, easily falling back into step with the him and the music.<p>

The floor was filled with couples dancing, some serious, some more playful, all of them enjoying themselves. Elena spotted Caroline dancing with Matt a little ways away. She was wearing a strapless purple sweetheart dress that poofed out at the waist like a princess dress. Matt had a matching purple tie and looked slightly uncomfortable on the dance floor.

Elena was pretty sure she had seen Bonnie and Jeremy dancing together earlier. Sometime between then and now they had disappeared. They were probably getting ready for their part of the plan.

That thought brought her back to the present. Sure, she was at one of the fanciest founders day events of the year and dancing with her boyfriend, but she couldn't forget that that wasn't all it was. It was also the setting for their master plan to take down Klaus.

She scanned the room again over Stefan's shoulder. There was Alaric, standing to the side making small talk with someone. He would be ready for his part when it came. The others were probably getting ready somewhere nearby.

But there was one face that was missing. Where was Damon? He should have been there with Alaric. Elena scanned the room for the third time, fear beginning to creep into her mind for the first time that night. _He should be here._

"Hey, you okay?" Stefan asked, noticing the shift in her mood.

She pulled back to an arms length from him so she could look him in they eyes. "Yeah, I just . . . I don't see Damon."

Stefan nodded. "He'll be here." He said, shrugging it off. "He's probably just off flirting with some poor girl somewhere."

Elena felt her stomach clench at the thought. Why did that bother her so much? Here she was, dancing with her boyfriend and thinking about his brother flirting with someone else. She took a deep breath and focused back on Stefan. "Yeah." She answered him finally. "You're probably right."

She continued dancing with him, enjoying the silent time, her head leaned against his chest. Like this, she could almost imagine her life was normal, that there wasn't some master plan going down tonight. She could almost convince herself that her and Stefan weren't growing farther apart by the day. She could almost believe she wasn't struggling with feelings for someone else whom she had never imagined she would ever feel that way for. Then the song ended.

As a new song began, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up and was caught off guard by the face greeting her. "Damon."

Damon turned to Stefan. "I'm sorry, brother, but could I steal a dance with your date?"

Stefan looked uncertain, glancing at Elena for guidance. She nodded to him, telling him it was alright.

"Fine." Stefan murmured, stepping away while handing Elena's hand to Damon.

Damon took her hand and they slid together easily. He put his other hand on her back and she put her's on his shoulder. They fell into step with each other and the song, drifting around the dance floor like they were floating.

"Elena, we need to talk." He said once they had gotten into the flow of the song.

"Okay." She agreed, letting her feet follow his lead. "Talk."

"It's about Stefan." He said, raising his eyebrows. She got the idea. It was about his suspicions. "Look," Damon continued. "I still don't know for sure if it actually is Stef, but that seems like the most likely scenario. People are starting to notice. If they figure out it's him, he's dead."

Elena shook her head. "Wait, I'm not quite following." She turned her head to the side, hardly even noticing her feet still moving rhythmically beneath her. "_Who's_ starting to notice, and why would they want to kill him? Wouldn't they just . . ." Suddenly a thought occurred to her. It had been 150 years, so she hadn't really thought much of it, but it was possible.

"Damon." She said much more serious than she had been a moment earlier. "Who's_ they_?"

"The council." He answered, confirming her suspicions. He continued talking, "Elena, I managed to gain their trust. I've been spying on them for months, keeping an eye on their progress. But I'm afraid they're getting too close now."

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Like we don't have enough other stuff to worry about."

"I'm sorry." Damon said. "I just thought you should know that they are around and getting closer to the truth. I've been doing my best to throw them off, but there's only so much I can do."

Elena nodded. "Okay look, first, let's get through this dance, and then worry about the plan. After that we can worry about Stefan and the council."

Damon smiled. "Sounds like quite a plan. And perhaps you could assist me with researching later."

It was a lame attempt at a joke, but it made her laugh and she immediately felt less stressed. "But first the song."

He nodded goofily, "We finish the song first, of course."

She laughed again as he spun her out, away from him, then back towards him. She felt totally safe and secure in his arms. It wasn't like when she was dancing with Stefan. With Stefan it was as if she was simply covering up all the stuff in her life, forgetting about it for a time, but it would all still be there when she came back to reality.

Dancing with Damon was nothing like that. With Damon, it was like she knew she would be alright. With Damon she could stare all her problems in the face and knew that they would get through it. With Damon, she could get through any hardship, solve any problem. He didn't just make her forget about her problems for a short time, he got rid of them completely.

She danced, watching him watch her. She knew that what she was feeling was probably wrong, but she couldn't help but feel it anyways. Somehow, Damon had gotten under her skin, and no matter what she did, she couldn't shake him.

The song ended far sooner than she wanted. They stepped apart and looked around, still on the alert for Klaus and his gang. It was a good thing too, because as they watched, Klaus walked through the front door to the Lockwood's mansion.


	46. October 28th 1921

A/N - Hello guys. Wow. I wrote this chapter a while ago, but looking at it now, I'm realizing just how short it really is. I'm sorry it's so short. However, I promise the next chapter will be worth the wait.

So despite the fact that I have very little time to write, I got a new Steroline AU idea and had to get it down. I posted the first chapter of that under the title "Starstruck by a Forbes". It would be cool if you all went to check that out. And don't worry, this story is still my main priority, but if I ever get some extra time I might write a chapter or two of that.

As always, I love all you guys and thank you for reading my story. Please leave a review, It really does boost a girl's confidence.

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><p>October 28th 1921:<p>

It had months since Elena's emotional breakthrough. Lexi knew immediately that at least one of her emotions had been turned back on. Granted, hate wasn't exactly the emotion that was wanted, but it was something. From there Lexi had slowly drawn other emotions out of Elena. She clung to the hatred. She used Elena's hatred to show her how the only reason she hated her sister so much, was because she still loved her. There was no reason to spend so much time hating someone you didn't still care about. There was such a fine line between hate and love and Lexi had used that to her advantage.

Once Elena had both hate and love, it was fairly easy to get the rest of her humanity to come back. About a month after the "hate breakthrough" and a few days after the "love breakthrough" Lexi let Elena out of her cell. They went out for food and talked. Lexi did her best to make Elena laugh. It was a long process, but eventually, Elena got back to normal. Well, at least as normal as a fifty year old vampire could be.

Elena actually began to enjoy spending time with Lexi. It was the roaring twenties and they were beautiful, eligible young woman. They compelled their ways into fancy parties, dressing up in the latest fashion. They drank, sang, and partied. They enjoyed life. Elena began to open up to Lexi, not because she was being forced to relive memories by a vampire mind connection, but because she wanted to.

They kept each other grounded. It would the one of the best decades of Elena's life.


	47. A Sharpened Piece of Wood

A/N - Im really proud of these last few chapters of book 3. I've been having so much fun writing this story so far, and yes, I do plan to continue. I'm really curious to see what you all think.

Another huge thank you to my beta juxtaposed92. She really is extremely helpful and its so great to have another person read my stuff over before I post it.

Without further ado, here's the next chapter. Let me know what you think!

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><p>Damon headed towards the door where Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah had just come through. They all separated, heading in different directions and Damon immediately followed his target. The plan was in motion.<p>

"Rebekah!" He called after her. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Alaric creeping towards her from behind.

She turned to face Damon, her face filled with curiosity. "Damon. The brave, idiotic human who tried to ruin my brother's plan to become a hybrid."

Damon stood his ground. "That's right."

She tilted her head to the side, amused at his apparent stupidity. "What do you want?"

"Who, me?" He asked, pointing towards himself in mock confusion. "Oh sweetie, I'm not the one you should be worried about." Alaric was right behind her now, a dagger in his hand. Damon nodded towards Alaric. "He is."

At that, Alaric quickly drove the dagger down into her heart. She stood for a moment, frozen in shock and then fell to the floor, turning grey.

Damon grabbed her arms and dragged into the closest closet, hoping that she wouldn't be discovered for at least a while.

Part one of their plain, completed.

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><p>Katherine slipped out from where she had been hiding. It would have been confusing if anyone had seen two Elena's around, but now it was her turn to do her part. She had watched from the shadows as Damon and Alaric lured Rebekah away, and as Klaus immediately headed out the back with Elena and her gang. Elijah was standing by the door, clueless to the fact that his sister was probably being daggered right at that moment.<p>

"Elijah." Katherine said in a normal voice. The name wouldn't have normally been heard through all the din, but with his super sensitive hearing, she knew he would. Sure enough, he immediately turned toward him, a guarded look on his face.

He walked over to the side hallway she was in. "Katherine. What are you doing here?"

She gave him an award winning smile. "I am here for _you_. Now that Klaus has let me go, we can finally be together. No more running." She reached up to his face, trying to show him just how much she still cared about him.

He didn't flinch back, but he didn't lean into her touch either. "Katherine." He said in a disapproving voice. "It isn't that easy. Klaus is still frustrated with you. Just because he gave you a pardon, doesn't mean he won't kill you if you get on his bad side. I'm his brother, Kat. I have to stay with him."

She gave him her best puppy dog eyes. "Don't stay. Come away with me."

"You know that I cannot-"

_Snap._

His neck whipped to the side and he fell to the ground. Behind him, Lexi stood, her mouth set in a determined line.

"Nice job distracting him. It almost sounded real." Lexi accused.

Katherine glared at the blonde, her head tilted to the side. "It worked. That's what matters."

* * *

><p>"Where is she?" Klaus asked the moment they were alone.<p>

As soon as Klaus had arrived, he had headed straight towards Elena. She told him she was willing to talk out back. As they had walked out, Stefan and Caroline had followed. Now the three of them, Stefan, Caroline, and Elena, stood facing Klaus on the back porch of the Lockwoods house.

Elena crossed her arms. "She'll be here. Just don't hurt anyone."

Klaus squinted his eyes, unbelieving. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Because I'm right here."

All four vampires turned towards the door. There stood the doppelganger, standing strong in the face of her death.

"Katherine?" Klaus asked, not buying it.

"No." She said, her voice firm. "I'm Max. You killed me. And now if I don't let you kill me again, you'll kill my friends."

Stefan and Caroline faced the ground in guilt. Elena looked at her. "Max, please you shouldn't have to do this."

Max shook her head, determined. "No. I don't have a choice."

Klaus spede over to her, his eyes moving back and forth between hers. She stared back at him defiant. His nose was almost touching hers.

That was when they made their move. All at once, Stefan and Elena were holding his arms behind his back as the doppelganger put her claw-like hand over his heart.

_**Bonnie felt a jerk in her gut. It was happening. Now it was her turn. She pulled away from her kiss Jeremy, grabbing his arms. "It's time." she said. "They've started."**_

_**He nodded, his eyes open wide in understanding. He quickly laid down on the ground and she placed her hands over his heart, chanting.**_

Klaus struggled against Stefan and Elena as they struggled to hold him down. His eyes meet the doppelganger's. Suddenly they went wide as he realized what was happening. Her evil and triumphant smile gave her away.

"You _are_ Katherine." He stated, and then began choking. The spell was working. Klaus was weakening.

**_Bonnie continued chanting, feeling Jeremy's heart slow beneath her hands. How could she do this to him? They had just gotten together and now she was killing him. _I'll bring him back_ she thought, trying to convince herself of his safety. It didn't work. She still knew she would most likely lose him, but she didn't have a choice._**

Klaus fell to his knees, gasping.

_Thwonk._

Elena managed to glance to the side where Caroline had been standing a moment ago. Now there stood someone else. He looked young, maybe around 18, and looked a little too much like Klaus for her liking.

In a flash, he was on Katherine. He snapped her neck before prying her away from Klaus who got back up almost immediately, throwing Stefan and Elena off him.

**_Something was wrong. The connection had been broken. Bonnie opened her eyes and stopped chanting. "Come on guys!" she said to herself. "We need a connection to take him down."_**

**_She looked down at Jeremy and was relieved to find he was still breathing. She hadn't killed him. Yet._**

"You didn't really think I came without backup, did you?" Klaus said, now that he was back in control of the situation.

Stefan, Caroline, and Elena had scrambled back to their feet. Katherine was lying to the side with a snapped neck. She wasn't going to be anymore help.

Klaus glanced at the boy who had rescued him. "Thank you Kol." He turned to them. "This is my youngest brother. Kol, this is the doppelganger, Elena, and her little gang."

"No." Said another voice from the doorway. This time, it really was Max. With Katherine laying dead at the other end of the porch and Elena facing off against him with her friends, Klaus, also figured out this fact. "_I'm_ the doppelganger you want."

"Max." Klaus says. This time, there's no question in his voice.

"No! Max, I told you to stay home!" Elena accused.

Max threw her a glance. "It's not your choice to make. This is my life and I don't want anyone else to die for me."

"Please . . ." now Stefan was begging. He turned to Klaus. "Please don't hurt her. She didn't do anything wrong."

Klaus turned towards Stefan. "I don't care. I need to be able to make my hybrids and as long as she's alive, that can't happen." He faced Max, pulling out a stake from the inside of his jacket.

Max took in a deep breath, watching the stake. Her eyes filled with terror, while her face remained stoic.

"No!" Elena yelled, trying to speed over to Max. Kol blocked her. He _tisked_ and wagged his finger back and forth in front of her face.

Everyone watched as Klaus raised the stake and swung it down, towards the girl's heart.

As the stake came down, Damon jumped out from behind the door frame and placed himself between the sharpened piece of wood and Max, the newbie vampire.

Time seemed to stop and speed up all at once. Elena watched as the stake came down on Damon, logging itself in his chest, Blood began seeping out from under his shirt. He gasped, his mouth and eyes wide open. It was as if he was just as surprised at what he had just done as the rest of them were.

Max gasped at the realization that she was still alive, as Damon fell to his knees.

Klaus stood there, dumbfounded and Caroline took the chance. She speed around Kol and plunged her fingers into Klaus's chest so they were just touching his heart. Stefan caught on to what she was doing before anyone else and didn't hesitate to snap Kol's neck.

**_The connection was back. Bonnie placed her hands back over Jeremy's chest and began chanting again. She felt her power surge and flow through her. Jeremy's heart had slowed to almost nothing. She kept going. The wind was picking up, twirling around her, but she barely noticed._**

**_Finally, she felt his heart give one final beat and stop._**


End file.
